The Most Magical Place
by shipperluv
Summary: Lucas and Riley spend a fun-filled magical week together when he and Ava accompany the Matthews on a trip to Walt Disney World.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This was written in response to a prompt made by jenn0bi on tumblr a couple of months ago. It's taken me a ridiculously long time to get it written, but I got completely carried away with it, and it became LONG. It's been several years since I've been to Disney World, so I had to do a lot of research to refresh my memory. I know some things aren't completely current and accurate, but most of that was a deliberate choice for creative reasons. Still, if you see any glaring mistakes I've made, feel free to point them out. There will be at least three more parts after this one. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** : Disney owns pretty much everything in this story except the scenarios.

* * *

 **Part 1**

It was their last day at Disney World and Riley had talked her parents into letting her and Lucas park hop while the two of them took the kids back to the Magic Kingdom. They'd visited all four parks over the course of the week, and Auggie and Ava had decided that that was the one they wanted to revisit on their final day.

So Riley and Lucas were on their own. At least until 3:00 o'clock, when they were supposed to meet up with the others to spend the rest of the day with them.

They'd decided to hit Hollywood Studios first, so Cory had dropped them off at the gate in the rental car before continuing on with everyone else to Magic Kingdom.

Once they'd made it through the queue to get inside, they went to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster first, but only to get Fast Passes to ride it later on. They'd just had breakfast at the hotel before they came and neither of them thought it was a good idea to take on the thrill ride so soon after eating.

"So, Star Tours or Toy Story first?" Riley asked as they maneuvered out of the crowd gathered around the kiosk. "The lines for both will probably fill up fast."

"You want to do Toy Story, don't you?" he guessed with a smile.

"I want do whichever one you want to do," she countered as they meandered towards the other side of the park.

"Well, I want to do whatever _you_ want to do," he returned, playfully nudging her with his shoulder.

Riley smilingly rolled her eyes. "One of us has to choose, and I like them both, so you pick."

"Fine. I piiick...Toy Story."

"You're just saying that because you think it's what I want to do," she charged lightly.

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" he queried with mock innocence.

Thrusting her chin up at him, she smiled beatifically. "Because you love me," she lilted in answer, moving in closer to his side as they walked.

"Well, I can't argue with that," he said in agreement while putting his arm around her to tuck her in closer. Looking down at her through his lashes, he returned her smile then leaned in to kiss her upturned lips. Riley responded to the sweetness of his kiss, anchoring herself with an arm around his waist, while her other hand reached up to tangle her fingers with his at her shoulder.

They were both completely oblivious to the fact that kissing while walking nearly made them bump into people several times, but those people just smiled at the couple indulgently and altered their course to keep them from colliding with them.

They did go ride Toy Story Mania. Lucas hadn't been wrong about it being the one Riley wanted to do first. It was one of her favorite rides from all of the parks.

There was already a bit of a line waiting outside, even though they'd gotten there when the park opened and had only made that one short detour along the way. It was a popular ride and the crowds had increased with the arrival of summer, as they always did, so relatively long lines at the attractions had been something they'd had to contend with all week.

This particular line wasn't that bad though, because once they made it inside the building, the queue wound around different displays that looked like giant toys set up everywhere; on the floor, the walls, and even on the ceiling. There were stacked building blocks and dominoes, giant game boards on the ceiling, towering structures put together from tinker toys, coloring book pages on the walls, a cabin made of lincoln logs, chains of monkeys linking arms, and they'd all been built on a scale that made the onlookers feel like they were just another toy among them in Andy's room.

There were things everywhere to look at and marvel over to help pass the time while the line shuffled forward, and it was all cheerfully accompanied by the theme music from the Toy Story movies playing in the background.

Even though they'd already seen it all once when they were there earlier in the week, Riley still enjoyed looking it all over and discovering small details she'd missed the first time.

"Oh, look, Ants in the Pants," she pointed out a giant game box with a picture of a bell-shaped pair of overalls with red ants inside them on the front. "Did you ever play that when you were a kid?"

Standing behind her, Lucas was caging her in with his arms on either side of her, his hands grasping the railing that separated them from the whimsical display on the other side.

"Doesn't look familiar," he shook his head, his jaw brushing against the hair at her crown. "If I did, I don't remember it."

Riley rested her back against him, comfortable within the circle of his arms. "We had an old game that belonged to my dad when he was a kid. There were these plastic ants- that really didn't look much like ants at all- and they had a sort of tail on the back of them-"

"Ants with tails?" he questioned in amusement.

"Well, they weren't really supposed to **be** tails, it was just this extra little thing on the back that you pushed on to force it down, and when you let it go, the ant sprang up in the air. The object was to try and aim it so it landed inside the overalls. My dad used to try do to all these trick shots because he thought he had so much experience over me and it was just a kids' game, but that usually made him miss and I ended up winning all the time." She laughed in remembrance and Lucas chuckled along with her.

"I don't guess I ever played it."

Riley tsked lightly. "You had such a deprived childhood. I mean, first no Disney, and now no Ants in the Pants?"

"I know," he agreed with pretended woe. "All I had were video games and Cuddle Bunnies. I was very deprived."

She made as if to poke him with her elbow in punishment for the slight mockery, and he jerked reflexively to protect his mid-section, laughing. But in the next moment, he wrapped his arms around her from behind in a conciliatory hug, and they rocked back and forth in tandem.

The line moved forward a bit and it brought the next configuration of giant toys into view. They spent the rest of their time in the queue pointing things out in the displays all around them that the other might have missed. It secretly tickled Riley that Lucas knew the significance of almost as many objects from the Toy Story movies as she did. That was only true because they'd 'crammed' before the trip.

When she'd found out Lucas had never been to Disney World before, she'd made it her personal mission to get him included on their trip there. Her parents had planned the vacation as a last family outing before she moved out to go to college. When she'd first asked Lucas to come along he'd said he didn't want to intrude on their family time, but after six years of being close friends, the last three of them spent dating, he'd practically become a member of her family. He was over at her house all the time, and he and her dad had even become close once he'd stopped viewing Lucas as the single biggest threat to her virtue. Auggie adored him, her mother indulged him, he was pretty much an honorary Matthews, she'd told him.

Once he'd agreed, she'd gone to work on her parents. She thought the argument that had finally swayed them was that this was going to be her and Lucas's last summer together before they parted to go to separate colleges, and she'd wanted to make the most of it. Of course, if he went, Auggie had argued that his girlfriend should get to go too, and that had almost derailed the entire thing. But in the end, it was finally decided that they both could come as long as their parents were okay with it. Neither of them had a particularly stellar home life, and her parents were admittedly softies.

It was when she and Lucas had been making plans for the trip that she'd found out he'd never even seen that many Disney movies. He'd seen a few when he was a kid of course, but that was it. And he didn't remember that much about those. After learning that, she'd insisted that they watch every Disney movie in her collection- which was a considerable number- and for the ones she didn't own, she'd rented every one she could get her hands on. It wouldn't mean as much if he wasn't familiar with the characters and didn't know what it was all about, she'd told him.

She might've felt a little guilty for making him sit through all those movies- especially the princess ones, which hadn't exactly been his cup of tea- but he'd seemed to enjoy them for the most part. And she thought it _had_ enhanced his experience at the parks to understand all the little details that you just wouldn't get unless you knew the story behind them.

When their waiting was over and they finally reached the head of the line, they picked up a pair of 3D glasses from the bin and were ushered onto a moving conveyor by a smiling Disney employee.

The cars that carried everyone through the ride approached the entry platform in a non-stop rotation, having just become empty after their last occupants exited further down the platform. Each car held four people, but the back of the seat was a tall partition that essentially divided it into a two-seater on each side, with neither side being able to see the other. The cars ran alongside the moving conveyor without stopping, like they did at so many of the rides there, and anyone boarding had a limited time to get off the conveyor and into the car before it disappeared into the depths of the attraction.

Lucas made sure to stay behind Riley, and he put one hand under her elbow and the other at her hip to help her into the car, while at the same time watching his own step as he hopped off the conveyor behind her. He'd lost count of the number of times she'd stumbled while attempting that maneuver over the course of the week, and he didn't want her to trip.

Once they were seated , they kept their hands clear as the safety bar automatically lowered across their laps, then they slipped on their glasses and reached for the shooting mechanisms mounted on the dashboard of their car. There was one for each of them and they were shaped like small cartoon-ish looking cannons with a stationary wheel on the back that was used to guide its direction, and a short string with a hand pull on the end dangling from the center of it, used to make the gun fire.

Riley immediately began 'warming up', taking hold of the guidance wheel with both hands and jerking the gun left and right, then left again, and up.

"I'm gonna beat you this time. You're goin' _down_ , Friar," she challenged playfully.

"We'll see about that, City Girl. If there's one thing we Texans know how to do, it's shoot a gun, you know," he threw back. The statement was blatantly false. He'd only shot a real gun maybe three or four times in his life, but he wasn't gonna admit to that now.

The car went through the inner doors into darkness and a change of music playing overhead. It was still theme music from the movie, but it was a different version than what was playing outside.

The ride was basically a multi-screened first person shooter video game, with screens that were almost as big as the ones seen in a movie theater. Their car stopped and turned them to face the first screen, where they were instructed how to use their toy cannons and allowed to take some practice shots, then it spun them around and moved along to the first actual playing screen.

In this first game, their cannons were launching eggs at the images of pigs, cows, chickens, and ducks that were arranged around a virtual barnyard. Each animal had a target on it that showed how many points they would win for downing it. Some targets were stationary, while others were moving around on the screen.

As soon as their car spun them to face the projected image, Lucas and Riley started jerking on their pull-strings to fire their cannons. The projectiles they were launching were only images and not something that was actually coming out of the barrels, but the virtual eggs looked as if they were flying in from outside the screen, entering the picture from the direction they were aiming their guns. Riley's eggs were red and Lucas's were blue so they could track where their shots were landing. Being able to aim accurately enough to hit the targets with higher point value played a big part in how many points they were able to rack up, but their ability to manipulate the pull-strings in quick succession was a factor in it too.

"Hey, Riley," Lucas called over the music after they'd been firing for a few seconds. "If you have trouble shooting them just pretend they're zombie chickens," he jokingly suggested, referencing the video game, Zombies Eat Your Brains, that they'd played together once upon a time. When first faced with the chickens in that game, Riley had been reluctant to shoot them because they were too cute. But when they'd morphed into zombie chickens she hadn't had any qualms whatsoever about shooting them.

Riley laughed at the reminder. "We're not shooting them, we're just throwing eggs at them, so that's okay," she called back.

"Okay." He accepted her logic with a smiling nod, his attention never veering from the screen.

The entire time they'd been shooting, Hamm, the pig from the movie had been speaking, giving them tips to improve their shots and commenting on their progress. When they'd been playing for almost 30 seconds, his voice was joined with a few of the other toys' as they started counting down the final five seconds left in the game. Riley started pulling more feverishly on the firing cord to get in as many shots as she could, but the frenzied tension of trying to beat the clock threw off her aim, so most of her last shots missed their targets.

When the barnyard animals reached 'one' in their countdown, their car swung them away and moved down the track to the next screen, rounding a curve, and throwing in a spin or two along the way. Riley used the travel time to look at the small screen in the middle of their dashboard showing what each of their scores were so far. Hers was 14,500 and his was 19,200.

"Still think you're gonna beat me?" he baited with a grin.

"Just wait, Friar. I got this," she boasted back, making him laugh.

The next screen was filled with the image of a volcano, fiery lava flowing down its side. A bit incongruously placed, there were rows of balloons at the base of the volcano, set amidst red waves of lava. The targets were the leaves on the palm trees clustered around it, various dinosaurs popping up and meandering around, and the balloons.

They were launching darts from their cannons this time. When they popped the balloons with their projections, each one appeared as though it was filled with water, and an explosion of confetti-like spray flew out at them from the screen, courtesy of the 3D effects. In addition to the image of flying water droplets, actual mists of water poofed out at them from some unknown source. Each time she got sprayed in the face it made Riley giggle. The targets on the dinosaurs and the tall peak of the volcano offered more points, but she couldn't help but aim for the balloons to keep the mists coming at them.

Unbeknownst to her, those were the targets Lucas aimed for as well, because her laughter made him smile.

It was Rex the dinosaur who led the countdown to the last five seconds this time. Riley tried not to let the ticking clock rattle her, but her flurry of last-minute shots still went a little off-kilter when she tried to put on an extra burst of speed.

The countdown ended and they were off to the next screen. Now Riley's score was 26,600 and his was 27,900.

"I'm catching up with you," she sing-songed to Lucas, smiling smugly.

"We're not done yet," he returned in the same cheerful manner, and they both snickered.

The next game had them shooting baseballs at china plates. The little green army men from the movie were featured in this one, and there were army jeeps and helicopters carrying some of the plates around the screen. Hitting the target on the plate made it shatter, so the tiny clicks of their busily shooting cannons were accompanied by the tinkling sound of breaking china. Occasionally the broken shards would fly towards them in 3D. Riley and Lucas both jerked back when one particularly realistic-looking fragment appeared to come right at their faces, and they looked at each other briefly and laughed.

At their fourth stop they found Buzz Lightyear and a one-dimensional rocket. In this one, they were tossing rings at rows of identical green alien squeak-toys in a virtual game of ring toss. To add to the level of difficulty, the aliens popped in and out of holes in the rocket like the animals in a whack-a-mole game.

When they left that screen to go to the next one, their scores sat at Riley- 43,100, Lucas-56,300.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "How'd you get so far ahead?"

"I told ya. Texans. Guns..." He ended with a breezy shrug as if the whole thing was a given, and Riley reached up between them to push at his shoulder, making him sway away from her with a laugh.

Fittingly, the final game's setting was the old west with Woody and Jessie the cowgirl. There was a saloon that looked like a cardboard cut-out along with other similar buildings from an old west town, and they were all set in a desert landscape with red clay peaks and cacti all around. 'You've Got A Friend In Me' changed to an arrangement played by a tinkling bar piano in the background.

"Okay, Cowboy. Time to put your money where your mouth is," Riley challenged, planting herself more firmly in her seat and hunching over her cannon's controls in readiness.

A renewed determination to beat him overtook her, and she zeroed in on her targets and started rapidly firing the moment their car turned them toward the screen. They were shooting darts with suction cups on the ends this time, and the bullseye targets were popping up all around the buildings. She tried to focus in on the ones that were worth 1000 points and get all those she could.

Lucas glanced at her and grinned at the fierce concentration on her face. She was so cute when the tiger came out in her. It was one of the reasons he'd started calling her that in the first place. He'd been surprised to learn she had that fierceness within her. It was so different from her usual sweet and cheery demeanor. At times like these he enjoyed her competitive spirit when it showed itself because even now, after knowing her so well, for so long, it seemed so unexpected from her.

He spent almost as much time watching her play as he did on his own game, and when he realized it, he tried to refocus his attention on the screen. His own competitive spirit wouldn't allow him to just sit back and let her beat him. He loved her, but come on.

The car slowly crawled toward the next screen, hanging right beside the current one. Bunnies, buzzards, and other desert creatures popped up among the dunes presenting targets, but after only a short time, the scene changed into that of a mine with multiple entrances, and mine carts started rolling out of them one after the other. The targets on the front of all of them were for 500 points each, but in seconds they changed to 1000 points each. This was where it was the easiest to rack up the most points because they didn't have to track so many targets, and it was obvious where the next one would be coming from.

Riley concentrated on catching every one of them that came out of the entrance right in front of her and a few from the entrance next to it besides. They were coming out fast so it was no easy feat.

Woody's voice announced that it was their last game, and the final target popped up in front of them. There was a red one on her side and a blue one on Lucas's, and they were both marked with a large green 500 in the center. The target stayed in place without moving and the voices of the toys encouraged them to go as fast as they could and keep hitting it. A bell rang each time they managed to get it, so a constant, quick _*ding ding ding ding*_ accompanied their flurry of shots.

Lucas and Riley laughed as they competed with each other to successively tug on the pull string more quickly than the other. Just when Riley's arm grew so tired she wasn't sure how much longer she could do it, an onscreen explosion blew everything up and a resulting blastwave of air bursted in their faces. It was a release of tension and a fun effect that made her giggle as she relaxed back in her seat.

Her eyes immediately went to their scoreboard and her arms went up in victory at what she saw. "Yes!" she crowed triumphantly. "I **told** you you were going down!" She punctuated the boastful cry with a downward swing of her arm that sent a pointed finger in his direction.

"Yeah, yeah," he drawled in reluctant acceptance. He couldn't be too mad about it, because her gleeful satisfaction was threatening to make him smile.

"You just got outgunned by a _city girl_ , Cowboy. What up!" The last was sang out at a higher register than her normal voice, and she made a pointing motion with both fingers this time, her upper body bobbing around in a seated dance of victory.

Lucas shook his head, his lips quirked at the corners. "It was just by 400 points, _City Girl_. That's not outgunned by much."

"Doesn't matter. Outgunned is outgunned," she insisted, still doing her dance, and shaking her head in a bopping counterpoint.

"Okay, fine," he smilingly conceded. "You're the queen of toy cannons. Happy now?"

"Exceedingly," she replied with a wide smile. And in the next second she softened her teasing with the consolation prize of a kiss to his cheek.

When they got off the ride and made their way out of the attraction, they saw that they only had fifteen minutes to get back to the roller coaster or their passes would expire. So they sped up their pace as they headed back to the other side of the park, holding hands tightly so they wouldn't get separated. The park had been open for well over an hour now and the crowds milling about had grown in size; they definitely didn't want to lose each other amongst all the other Disney-goers.

They made it just in the nick of time. As they approached the stucco arch with an upside down roller coaster car hanging at its center, the sounds of heavy-metal rock, the roar of the roller coaster racing by on its track, and the muted screams of its riders met their ears.

It was an indoor track, and a towering red and white guitar adorned the outside of the building where the queues were formed. They bumped their wristbands against the scanner when they got there and were ushered into the shorter line made up of the others who held Fast Passes for that time. They didn't have to wait long at all, and there was all kinds of music memorabilia inside the building to look at while they moved forward, so it seemed like they got to the front of the line in no time.

As they reached the front, right before going in for boarding, there was a Disney-esque introduction with Aerosmith themselves. A mock-up of a recording studio was set up at the side of the queue and the music group appeared as though they were behind the glass in the sound booth. Their 'manager' apologized to everyone waiting, saying they had to leave to get to a concert, but Steven Tyler protested. He didn't want to leave all these people behind, so he made the manager promise to get them all backstage passes. The manager agreed, and told everyone that the concert was all the way across town, but she'd gotten them a really fast car.

When they were ushered through the final door to the actual ride, a line of roller coaster cars was waiting in what appeared to be a narrow parking garage, complete with concrete walls, chain link fences, and a large rolled-up garage door. The lead car on the train had a nose on it like an old fifties Cadillac or some similar car, while the last one had a rear bumper with tall tail-lights and fins. It was supposed to represent a stretch limo that would be transporting them to the concert awaiting them.

The last stage of waiting was dividing everyone up into lines of four on the boarding platform, each line sectioned off with metal railings on either side to designate which car they would be getting into. Riley and Lucas were directed to stand in row three and in a few moments they were joined by a couple of older guys that would be the backseat riders in their car.

The last train that had filled with passengers was sitting motionlessly at the dark entrance of the ride, waiting to launch. A growing din of musical sound seemed to rev up the tension as a screeching countdown started from five. At the count of one, the cars shot forward with a squeal of illusionary tires and disappeared into the abyss of darkness, a few of its riders already screaming. The ride was said to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, so Riley couldn't blame them at all.

Butterflies were making themselves felt in her stomach. She loved roller coasters, she really did, she wouldn't ride one every year with her dad if she didn't. But the nervous anticipation got her every time, no matter how many times she rode one. And this particular ride was pretty intense. The launch alone had enough force to bring tears to your eyes, and it went upside down three times once it got underway.

In the few minutes they waited for the next train to arrive, Riley reached behind her to catch hold of Lucas's hands. She played with them there for a few seconds, one on either side of her, then brought them up to wrap around her waist.

Lucas willingly complied and hugged her close to his front. "Scared?" he murmured in her ear.

"Just nervous. I'll get over it once we get going," she assured him.

"Like you did last time?" he teased, calling to mind the way she'd clutched at him and had done her best to hide away against him when they'd ridden this earlier in the week.

"Stop it, I was fine," she protested, and he chuckled in response, giving her a squeeze with his arms.

Their train arrived, pulling to a stop at the edge of the platform, and Riley tried to calm her jitters as she climbed aboard. Lucas got in beside her, and after a few moments the safety bars came down over their shoulders.

Lucas laid his hand on the seat between them, palm upward. "Just hold my hand if you're scared," he offered bolsteringly.

Riley grabbed it immediately, and laced her fingers with his in a tight grip. "Don't let go," she said plaintively.

"Never," he promised, and she turned her head to exchange a warm smile with him.

Their train moved forward to the entrance and idled there just as the previous one had. A DJ's voice came from the vicinity of the dash area, making it sound like a car radio, and he talked about the jammed traffic conditions. Giving a radio call sign, he told them to stay tuned.

Riley's leg jiggled up and down as they were forced to wait another few nerve-wracking moments, and Lucas gave her hand a squeeze. His stomach was fluttering too, but his was more like coiled anticipation.

Finally, the slide of an electric guitar revved up in sound, just like before, and the countdown for their ride began.

 _Five..._

 _Four..._

 _Three..._

 _Two..._

 _One!_

The car shot forward as if from a rocket launcher, and even though she'd known it was coming, it ripped a shriek from Riley's throat. She could hear Lucas laugh in the darkness, and she sheepishly joined him.

Aerosmith's song 'Nine Lives' blared all around them as they flew up an incline, down around a curve, and then back up to climb higher. As they crested the peak and sped down the other side, the momentum sent them up into the first inversion.

Riley screamed again, long and hard, and she held onto Lucas's hand for dear life as they were thrown into the high-speed flip. Reaching across her body, she held on with that hand too, blood rushing to her head to make her momentarily dizzy.

They swooped down and banked hard right, various road signs, palm trees, and green interstate signs whizzing past to represent the highway they were supposed to be taking to the concert. Down and up, down and up, they traversed over some smaller hills, then up they whooshed, up and into the second loop. It was impossible to hold in her scream and Riley let it loose. It rang out in chorus with Lucas's deeper-voiced "Whoooo! Hoo-hooo! Yeeeah!"

They flew downward out of the loop, into another sharp curve that left her unsure whether they were upright yet, and before she could quite figure it out they were climbing back up again. The track straightened out for a brief moment when they shot through the 'O' of the Hollywood sign, and on the other side they dipped down sharply, leaving her stomach behind, then sped into an upward curve that continued to climb.

The third inversion had Riley squeezing her eyes shut, her head turned aside, and her whole body was twisted as far towards Lucas's as the shoulder harness would allow. Her scream melded with that of the other passengers and Lucas continued to whoop his enjoyment.

They whipped around the loop and down they came, the track curving out and down some more. A green highway sign reading 'Civic Center' flitted past, the long blast of a car horn and other traffic noises blending with the hard-rocking sound of the music that was still surrounding them. There was a long curve that seemed to continue on for forever, around, around, around, then a quick swing up, and down, making Riley let out her own whoop of appreciation.

A sign saying 'V.I.P. Parking' sent them racing towards a tunnel and it was a straight stretch in from there. The cars slowed and finally stopped, the lyrics of Aerosmith's song bouncing off the concrete walls that looked like another parking garage.

As the car crept forward to the tunnel exit, Lucas reached over and gently pried Riley's fingers from his wrist, where they were threatening to cut off his circulation. Riley looked at him and they laughed.

"Sorry," she apologized breathlessly, her heart still pounding from the exhilaration of the ride.

"Hey, if I can't take a few dents from your fingernails then what use am I to you?" he joked.

Riley looked down at his wrist in concern. "Did I really gouge you with my nails?"

"It's okay. I'll live," he dismissed with a laugh.

Unwilling to let it go so easily, Riley brought their joined hands up and turned his wrist so she could inspect the damage. Placing her lips on the visible indentations her nails had made in his skin, she kissed each one softly.

"Better?"

As her soft doe eyes came up to his in question, Lucas swallowed hard and tried to even out the hitch in his breath. "Better," he agreed huskily.

The banked fire in his eyes made Riley's heart speed up to match the fluttering pulse she'd felt against her lips, and she got lost in their mossy green heat. He slowly leaned towards her, his intent obvious, and she reached to meet him half-way, then—

The safety bars curled around their shoulders pulled them up short.

Surprise and confusion registered on their faces for a brief instant and then they both laughed. Riley had almost forgotten where they even were, a feat that should've been impossible with the loud music still rocking all around them.

Lucas brought their joined hands up to his face and placed his kiss there instead, murmuring, "To be continued."

The raspy promise and the soft feel of his lips on the back of her hand made Riley's heart stutter again, and she could see now why her own kiss against his wrist had put the glowing heat in his eyes the way it had. She looked forward to the moment when they could continue it. Hopefully somewhere much more private.

When they exited the ride, they were directed to a short passageway. They knew from previous experience that it would take them to a room with a large screen where the promised Aerosmith concert would be playing on it.

Lucas chuckled when he saw her in the relative light of the hallway. "You're looking pretty wild, there, tiger," he teased, reaching up to smooth her hair down as they walked.

Riley's hands automatically went to her head, where they bumped against his as she tried to do the task herself. "Yeah, well, that tends to happen when you're flying around upside down at Mach 10," she said wryly.

Lucas laughed. "It was hardly Mach 10, Riles."

"Couldn't prove it by me," she returned, attempting to comb the tangles out of her hair with her fingers.

The passage wasn't long at all, and they reached the room at its end in only moments. They'd stayed to watch a little of the projected concert when they were there before, so they were going to pass it up this time.

As they moved on, another short passageway brought them out into the roller coaster gift shop, where rock and roll was the obvious theme. Guitars, drums, and amplifiers were artfully placed around the store as decor, contributing to its ambiance. In the way of merchandise, the shop offered t-shirts, caps, and other items with the Rock n' Roller Coaster logo on them, but there were also others that were emblazoned with Aerosmith's and other band's names.

"I wanted to look at these tops again real quick," Riley told Lucas, indicating a display of cute rocker-chick clothing.

"Okay. I'm gonna look around for something to get Zay," he replied.

They separated, and Riley maneuvered through the crowd to get to the wall where the tops she'd looked at the other day were hanging. Everything in that section reminded her of the style of clothing Maya used to wear back in middle school, and Riley thought it would be fun to get her best friend something that would remind her of that time.

As she was looking through the selection of fitted tops and t-shirts, she thought she heard her name.

"Hey, Riley," Lucas called from several feet away.

Turning to find him in the mass of people, she burst out laughing when she singled him out. He'd put on one of the oversized mad hatter-type top hats that were on sale in the shop, and it had a long mop of black synthetic hair, modeled after Aerosmith's lead singer, straggling out from underneath it. Immediately she reached into her pocket for her phone, still laughing.

She snapped his picture while he posed with both hands up next to his shoulders, the first two fingers on each hand forming a V, and his tongue hanging out of his open mouth. "That is so you," she told him.

"You think?" he grinned back. "So I should grow my hair out and dye it jet black?"

Riley pretended to consider. "Your mama would skin you alive," she teasingly concluded, the expression one she'd heard used by members of his family more than once.

"You're right," he agreed wryly. "No rock career for me then I guess."

She made a mock expression of sympathy. "You'll find another dream to pursue," she consoled him.

They shared a grin and Lucas moved back into the throng to continue looking.

Riley turned back to the clothing display and browsed through a selection of black and red tops sporting different band names. When she came across one with the extended tongue of the Rolling Stone emblem, she seized on it and looked for Maya's size. Pulling one out in a Small, she held it up to look at it.

A bittersweet smile curved her lips as her fingers brushed over the shiny red lips and protruding tongue, and the sudden burst of nostalgia brought tears to her eyes. Because it reminded her of how much time had gone by. And now they were nearly grown and would be heading to different colleges soon. Not for the first time, she wondered how she was going to embark on this new journey in her life without her Peaches at her side. She was happy Maya was pursuing her dream, and Lucas too. It was just going to be so hard—

"You look deep in thought. Did you find something?"

Lucas's question startled her from her melancholy musings, and she threw a brief self-conscious look in his direction before focusing her swimming gaze back on the top.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat to ease the thickness there. "I think I'll get this for Maya."

Lucas looked at it, noting its familiarity. "Didn't she used to have one like that?"

"Yeah, back in middle school. She gave it to Auggie when Shawn got her all those new clothes and she changed her style. I thought it would be a nice reminder."

Lucas nodded, but then recalled, "I thought you already got her something though. Yesterday at EPCOT, didn't you get her that Frozen figurine with the two sisters?"

"I did, but that's okay." What she didn't say was that she was sort of feeling the need to shower Maya with little reminders of her. If she was surrounded by things that reminded her of Riley when she was in her new dorm room, then maybe Maya wouldn't completely forget about her and move off in a direction that didn't include her.

She felt the need to do that with Lucas too. She was going to miss them both so much she wasn't sure how she was going to survive it. And she was afraid that the bonds between them would be stretched so thin by the distance and new lives they'd be making for themselves that they might eventually break. The thought of either of them drifting away from her was her greatest fear, and there would be so many new people entering their lives that she could easily imagine herself being forgotten and replaced.

Standing next to her, Lucas thought he saw moisture glimmering at the corner of her eye and frowned. Surging forward so he could see her face, he confirmed that her eyes were shining with tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked immediately, setting aside the t-shirt he was holding and turning her gently to face him.

No longer able to hide the wetness from him, Riley rolled her eyes at herself, shaking her head and giving a huff of laughter. "Nothing," she said dismissively, wiping the moisture from under one eye with the backs of her curled fingers.

"It can't be nothing if you're crying," Lucas said in concern. "What is it, baby?"

His hand came up to stroke her shoulder soothingly even though he looked confused about what was going on, and Riley felt like kicking herself for doing this in front of him. She'd been careful to do all her worrying about their future separation in private ever since Lucas had made his decision. She didn't want him to think she was anything less than 100% behind him in his plans to go to Texas A&M, because she wasn't. She was fully in favor of it. It was what was right for him. She just had moments when she started worrying about what all the time apart was going to do to them and their relationship. The unknown element about it all was just so scary.

"Riley?" Lucas prompted at her silence.

"It's not a big deal, Lucas, really. I was just- thinking about how much I'm gonna miss both of you," she finally admitted with a fleeting smile. Before the sympathetic expression of understanding and regret could fully form on his face, she quickly added, "But it's gonna be alright. We'll be fine. Maya will still be in the city, so we'll see each other all the time. And you and I are gonna call, and Skype, and text...we'll be checking in with each other every day. We won't let a single one go by without letting each other know what happened in our lives that day. Right?"

"Absolutely," he agreed firmly. He'd had his share of worried moments over what was ahead of them, but right now he could respond without doubt. And even though she was the one making assurances, it was obvious from her question that she needed reassurance herself. "We'll talk all the time, and we'll see each other on all our breaks... and the rest of the time you'll probably be so busy you won't even have time to miss me." Cupping her jaw, he brushed her cheek with his thumb and held her gaze earnestly. "If anyone can do the long distance thing and make it work, Riles, it's us. I believe in us," he said devoutly.

Riley nodded. "I believe in us too." It was given as a pledge, and she hoped the commitment and the conviction she spoke it with was enough to make up for the moment of doubt she'd let him see.

She went into his arms then and they hugged tightly. Burying her face in his neck, she breathed in his unique masculine scent and let it soothe her. It was an earthy combination of warm skin, woodsy aftershave, a faint hint of leather, and something indefinable that just smelled like home.

This. This was all she needed to quiet her fears when she got to worrying about their time apart; the soft band of his muscular arm wrapped solidly around her waist...his other hand cupping the back of her head protectively...his lips pressing a kiss into her hair...those things all combined to make her feel so secure and adored that it felt like it was possible to do anything. It was going to be so hard when she didn't have those things to shore her up when things got tough.

"When you don't have what things?" Lucas said quizzically.

Feeling sheepish when she realized she must've spoken that last thought aloud, Riley hid her face by burrowing more deeply into him and mumbled her answer into his chest. "Those hands, these arms. Those lips."

Lucas smiled against her hair, then loosened his arms a bit to lean back from the waist so he could see her face. "Then I guess these hands, arms, and lips will just have to make it up to you whenever we do see each other," he proposed with a roguish smile, his brow lifted suggestively.

Riley acknowledged the suggestiveness with a look, and her lips turned up coquettishly. "I think I like the sound of that, Cowboy. It's a plan," she flirted back.

Pulling her close again, Lucas sealed the deal with a kiss. But his lips had barely begun to move on hers when he suddenly stopped and pulled back.

'Uh, sorry," he said with chagrin. "But there's a little guy in Goofy ears looking right at us, and I'm suddenly reminded that there are lots of little eyes around."

Riley laughed and glanced over her shoulder to find the little guy in question. There, several feet away, a little blonde boy of four or five was leaning against his mother's legs while she shopped. He was wearing a Lightning McQueen t-shirt and a small baseball cap with Goofy ears dangling on either side, and he was looking at her and Lucas with keen interest as he stood there clutching his stuffed Baymax.

With another giggle, Riley dropped her head to the side to rest against Lucas's chest again. "I guess this will just have to be continued too."

"Definitely," Lucas agreed, his arms tightening around her briefly.

Before they pulled away from each other, he gave her a quick peck on the lips in lieu of the aborted kiss. But it was rated G in deference to their little audience of one, and they smiled at each other in awareness of that.

"Ready to go pay?" Lucas inquired, and Riley answered him with a nod.

After paying for their items and leaving the gift shop, they went in search of the nearest restrooms and stopped there briefly. Riley did the best she could at putting her hair back in order without a hairbrush. She'd been planning to put it up when the day got hotter anyway, so she'd come prepared with a ponytail elastic in her small crossbody bag. She felt much better when she got her hair up off her neck and splashed her face with water at the row of sinks in the lady's room, and she headed back out to join Lucas feeling more refreshed.

Lucas had gone to wait for Riley when he finished before she did. The restrooms were in a walled-in area around the corner of the building housing the roller coaster, and he'd gone to lean against one of the outer walls to get out of the main stream of traffic. Taking out his phone, he saw that he'd missed a text from Farkle, and he shot him back a quick reply while keeping an eye out for Riley.

She emerged from the women's room just as he was finishing. She paused outside the door, her eyes searching for him amongst the other people moving around in the small area, and he greeted her with a smile when she spotted him and started moving towards him.

She looked a lot cooler and more put-together now. He sort of missed the wild look she'd been sporting when she went in, but Riley looked good no matter what, and this was a good look too. She'd pulled her dark curls up into a high ponytail, and with her pink Mickey t-shirt and white shorts, she made him think of strawberry ice-cream. Which happened to be his favorite. He imagined that her pink glossy lips would taste like that too.

She looked so beautiful walking towards him in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, and he brought his phone up to snap a quick picture of her. Riley tilted her head and smiled when she saw what he was doing, but she didn't pause in her approach.

"Hi," she said sweetly when she reached him.

"Hey," he replied back with a smile. "You look beautiful," he told her, fingering a tendril of hair hanging loose at her temple.

"Thank you, Lucas," she dimpled prettily at the compliment and leaned up to give him a kiss.

Lucas's lips curved upwards when they merged with hers and he tasted strawberry ice-cream. In reality, it was strawberry lip gloss, but hey, they were at Disney World. Reality had no place there.

When they drew apart, she slipped her hand into his with a smile and they started walking back towards the open area in front of the ride. There were several vending carts set up there, some selling souvenirs and one with refreshments.

"I think I want some ice-cream," Riley decided. "You?"

"You must have read my mind." Lucas grinned. "Think they've got any strawberry?"


	2. Chapter 2

They'd found a bench where they could sit and eat their ice cream, but there was only one small space on the end that wasn't occupied. Lucas had solved that by taking the seat himself, sitting next to a man wearing knee shorts in an unfortunate shade of green and a safari hat, and pulling Riley down to sit on his lap. Which was clothed in a much more traditional pair of khaki board shorts.

They were on one of the main pathways between attractions, after having gone to look for a place that sold ice cream when they'd found that the vending cart at the roller coaster hadn't had any. With a constant stream of families, couples, and kids passing in front of them, they people-watched while they contentedly swiped at their frozen treats. Riley swung her dangling foot indolently as they exchanged an occasional remark and pointed out things of amusement to one another. At one point, Lucas couldn't resist pressing his cold lips against the curve of her neck since it was _right there_ in front of his face. Riley giggled, her shoulder rising and head tilting towards it to curtail the ticklish contact.

"Mm, just as sweet as the ice cream," he declared, his lips at her ear.

Smiling, Riley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You goof," she said affectionately.

"So, what do you want to do next?" she asked a minute later, offering him a drink from the single bottle of water they'd bought.

"I don't know," Lucas replied, accepting the bottle from her. He glanced at the tall, spooky-looking hotel across the way. "What about Tower of Terror?" He watched for her reaction with amusement as he took a long swallow of water.

As expected, Riley's eyes rounded, and she rejected the idea with a jerky shake of her head.

"Still no?" he teased. "Riles, you just rode a roller coaster that went upside down at Mach 10. How can you still be too scared to ride Tower of Terror?"

"It didn't go up to Mach 10, you said so," she reminded him childishly, catching a drip of mint chocolate chip with her tongue before it escaped down the side of her cone. "And a roller coaster is totally different from free-falling over a hundred feet and being jerked up and down like a yo-yo."

Lucas tilted his cone to lick around the bottom of the rapidly-melting scoop of strawberry. "Different maybe, but still fun," he contended.

"Why don't you ask them if that's true," Riley said challengingly, pointing at the ride a short distance away. There were elevator doors up and down the side of the ramshackle tower that were opening and closing randomly, and the screams of terror from the people inside filled the air. "Ask _my dad_ if it's true," she added.

Lucas chuckled. "I think most of that was just put on for Auggie and Ava's benefit," he told her.

When they'd visited the park earlier in the week with the rest of the group, the two kids had been the only ones willing to go on the ride with Lucas and Cory. Lucas recalled when they'd come back from the ride to rejoin Riley and her mom...

"Oh, man, Riles, you missed it," he'd laughed. "You should've seen your dad up there. He was making sounds I've never heard before. Some of them didn't even sound human."

Everyone had laughed, and Cory turned his head away for a moment as though to say he didn't have to listen to this before pointing out defensively, "You were screaming too, you know."

"Oh, I admit it, I was screaming my head off," Lucas had agreed with a nod. "But at least I wasn't crying out for my mommy. Even Auggie and Ava weren't screaming that bad," he razzed.

"Why don't ya zip your lips, Mr. Tattletale," Cory shot back, and Lucas had just grinned unrepentantly. "And I did not cry for my mommy," he added in muttered denial.

"You did! Didn't he, Auggie?"

The truth was, he'd actually started out yelling, "Ohhh, Momma!" And as the car had risen up a short distance then dropped them jerkily several times it had become, "Oh, Mom- momm- mommaaaa!" When the drops became longer it had devolved into a higher-pitched, "Mommm-eeeeee!" And it was all mommy, mommy, mommy from there.

At Lucas's question, Auggie had looked up at his father, somehow managing to smirk and look sympathetic at the same time. "I don't want to shame you, Dad, so I'm not gonna answer that."

"Thank you, Auggie," Cory said primly. "So now it's just your word against mine," he'd told Lucas smugly. To his wife and daughter, he posed the question, "Who ya gonna believe?"

"What about Ava?" Riley pointed out with amusement. "Wasn't she there?"

Cory sent an apprehensive look at the little blond, and she'd smiled and fluttered her lashes at him, the message clear that she would sell him out in a heartbeat.

Cory's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Wasn't there some Olaf thing you were wanting at that gift shop earlier?"

Ava's eyes lit up avariciously. "Sorry, Hunkalicious," she'd told Lucas, "I'm gonna have to go with Phil here. I didn't hear a thing."

"Okay," Lucas had given up with an expansive shrug, knowing when he was beat. "What happens in the Tower stays in the Tower, I guess. I know _someone_ was crying Mommy though."

He'd looked at Cory then and the twinkle in the elder Matthews eyes as he looked back at him pretty much confirmed what he'd suspected. Half-way through the ride he'd started wondering if Cory hadn't just been putting on an exaggerated show to distract Auggie and Ava from their fear. The first drop of the elevator had sent them plunging to the ground at a disconcerting rate of speed , and the two of them had looked genuinely terrified. But then they'd gotten to laughing at Cory's hysterical reactions and had seemed to be having more fun after that.

"I think he was just trying to make them laugh with the whole mommy thing," he told Riley now, "To keep them from being so scared."

"Sounds like my dad," Riley agreed, remembering him doing something similar with her on The Cyclone when she was little. "That doesn't mean he wasn't really scared out of his mind though."

"Maybe," he allowed. "But even if he was, that doesn't mean **you** would be." He pointed what was left of his cone at her in emphasis.

"I guess we'll never know," she replied blithely, licking the green sticky residue from her thumb with unconcern.

On a silent note of laughter, Lucas conceded wryly, "No, I guess we won't." With an amused shake of his head, he finished off his cone, then took another drink of water.

Handing the bottle back to her so she could have the rest, he laid his arm across her legs and watched as she tipped her head back to drain the last few swallows. "So Star Tours next then?" he asked.

Her mouth full, Riley nodded. Swallowing, she said, "Yeah, we probably should, don't you think?" Pulling out her phone to check the time, she said, "We just have a little over three and a half hours before we're supposed to meet up with the others."

"Yeah, we should get going," he agreed.

They headed across the park, and though the sky had grown cloudy, a sticky heat filled the air, and they were surrounded by masses of people, Riley wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. There was just something magical about Disney World. You felt it no matter what age you were. Kids were laughing, music was playing all around them- courtesy of the outdoor speakers placed all over the park- and people were smiling everywhere she looked. The joy of it all just lifted Riley's heart, and she swung her and Lucas's joined hands between them as they walked.

"Happy?" Lucas smiled, glad to see her looking more carefree than she had in the gift shop.

"Yeah." Riley returned his smile. "I'm sorry for that- meltdown or whatever it was back there. Having you here with us this week has been amazing, Lucas, and the last thing I want to do is ruin our last day here."

Lucas squeezed her hand, reassuring her, "You haven't ruined it. I get it, Riley. When you get to thinking about it- the different schools, our future, and all that- it sort of becomes this big, scary, unknown thing. But we'll make it through it. We mean too much to each other not to. And when it's over we'll be even stronger."

Riley looked up at him with admiration shining in her eyes. "I love you, Lucas Friar. You're pretty incredible, you know."

He looked down in a self-effacing manner, a pleased expression on his face when he tilted his gaze over at her. "And I love you, Riley Matthews. So much that I know it'll see us through anything."

Their eyes held for a long moment, and then they were kissing while walking again. But this time they drifted to a standstill, their free hands coming up to cradle each other's neck and face respectively. Their lips moved softly on one another's, parted, then came back together again, sweet kisses that felt like promises passed back and forth between them.

When their lips finally drew apart, their faces lingered close together. Riley's eyes were slow to open and she sighed in pleasure. She felt connected, as if something had just been reaffirmed between them, and wasn't in any particular hurry to leave his embrace.

Lucas was feeling the same sense of closeness, and he pressed a long kiss on her forehead as she bowed her head slightly towards his.

It was the bump of a passerby that finally parted them when Lucas was knocked slightly off balance.

"Watch where you're going, Braden," a young woman scolded, taking her son by the hand. "Sorry about that," she apologized, directing the little boy around them.

Lucas acknowledged her politely, and the family moved on.

Riley and Lucas looked back at each other. "We forgot about all those little eyes," she said wryly.

"And apparently we need to watch out for little bodies too. Kid's gonna be a linebacker," he joked, and she laughed.

Moment over, the two of them turned to continue on to their destination, hands still linked between them.

They were headed to the opposite side of the park, the Star Wars attraction being at one of the outer corners, nearly at the park's edge. On the way, they passed Hollywood Boulevard, the street that ran from the entrance of the park up its center. It was lined on both sides with a series of inter-connected gift shops and eateries that gave the impression of old Hollywood with their architectural facades in pastels and neon. A row of palm trees on either side of the street furthered the illusion that it was the California town.

As they were walking past one of the shops at the end of the street, Riley started tugging Lucas in that direction, saying, "Oh, wait, can we run in here for just a minute? Please? They had those movie charms in there, remember? And it was the only place I've come across them."

Even though they were pressed for time if they were going to make it to the other parks, Lucas indulgently followed along behind her as she pulled him by the hand.

They entered the shop with the mint green exterior, and the air conditioned coolness inside was a welcome relief from the heat. True to her word, Riley went straight to the jewelry section of the store, and started sifting through the small bins filled with movie-themed charms featuring Disney characters dressed as the key roles from the films. She, Maya, and Smackle had all gotten matching bracelets a few years ago, and had been collecting charms to go on them ever since.

Lucas stood by patiently as she picked through them, occasionally holding one up for his inspection and approval.

"Look, it's Cap's shield with ears," she enthused, showing him the tiny Captain America shield with black Mickey Mouse ears sitting atop it. "Isn't it cute?"

"Uh-huh," he agreed for the third time.

Head tilting empathetically, Riley told him, "You know, you don't have to stand here with me. You can go look around if you want."

"I'm fine," he assured her with a smile, content to watch her delight in the number of charms that were on offer. Besides, this particular shop mostly held stuffed animals, food items, and children's toys, so there wasn't much there to hold his interest anyway.

Riley continued to look for a few minutes, and while they were occupied in the store, the overcast sky opened up outside and it started pouring rain. People began running in noisily, exclaiming over the sudden downpour, and soon the shop was full of people in varying states of wetness, all taking refuge from the inclement weather.

It wasn't overly concerning. It was a common occurrence for a rain shower to blow in for a brief time in the afternoons there. And when it was over, the sun usually came back out, shining as brightly as if it had never been hidden away at all. They'd seen it happen at least twice during the week they'd been there, so Riley just continued on with her shopping, planning to pass the time there until it was over.

But even after lingering over the task of choosing several bracelet charms, and doing what little bit of browsing they could manage with the extra influx of people loitering around in the store, the rain still hadn't abated.

Riley had paid for her purchases, and she and Lucas were standing near the open doorway, watching it continue to pour from the sky.

"It's really coming down," Lucas remarked, looking out at the now-deserted street in front of the shop. A few people occasionally went running by, the flimsy yellow rain ponchos that were sold in all the gift shops partially covering them.

"Yeah, stopping here was a mistake," Riley said regretfully. "We'd probably be at the ride right now if we hadn't. I'm sorry, Lucas."

Lucas shrugged easily. "It's no big deal. The rain will probably stop soon."

Two kids went running by, laughing and calling to each other boisterously, the slap of their shoes on the pavement sending water splashing against their shins.

"I bet there's no line over there at all right now," Riley said, hating that they weren't there to take advantage of the possible no-waiting time, when otherwise they'd be waiting for an hour or more for that ride.

After she'd made the comment, the two of them looked at each other speculatively, silently consulting with one another.

"You want to make a run for it?" Lucas spoke aloud what they were both thinking, brows lifted and a small grin curving his lips.

Riley looked out at the rain and then back at him. Matching his grin, she nodded.

Without giving themselves any more time to think about it, they plunged out the doorway together.

They were drenched within seconds as they went running hand-in-hand, Riley straggling slightly behind. Laughing at the craziness of what they were doing, they rounded the gift shop and cut left on an intersecting pathway. There was a landscaped area with densely leafed trees and benches behind the gift shops, so they were protected for a small part of the way. But once they came out from underneath those there was no shelter at all, so for the last three hundred yards or so, all they could do was run.

Water was rolling down the pavement like shallow streams, and each footfall sent it spattering against their lower legs, the same as it had done with the two kids earlier. When they went around the corner of the Indiana Jones amphitheater to turn down another street, Riley's foot skidded on the wet sidewalk, making her falter.

"Whoah! Careful!" Lucas called, his hand tightening around hers convulsively as he turned to put his other arm out in a steadying manner. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she gasped mirthfully, "Keep going," she urged.

They went on, but now that her forward momentum had been broken, it wasn't long before she was stumbling on the wet surface again. This time she very nearly went down, but even as her breath caught sharply, Lucas was turning and stooping to grab for her with an outstretched arm and pulling her up safely against him.

Crisis averted, she looked at him with dancing eyes and shook her head. "This is pretty crazy, Mad Dog," she said as he held her against his chest, her voice raised to speak over the sound of the pounding rain.

"Just don't expect me to start twirling you around like Zac Effron or something," he said humorously, referring to the scene in that High School Musical movie, where Troy and Gabriella danced on the rooftop.

Riley laughed, letting her arms fall open at her sides and dropping her head back to let the rain wash her face, thinking they might as well embrace the situation since they couldn't possibly get any wetter than they already were.

Apparently, Lucas had come to the same conclusion, because after he put her down and they resumed running, they went on a more meandering course, splashing through puddles, and letting their arms stretch out full length between them from the link of their hands and towing each other around lackadaisically. Riley held on to his hand with both of hers, and he ran backwards a short way to tug her along in his wake.

Then he swung her in a half-circle around him when he turned to face forward again until she was the one running in front of him ...and the whole time they were both giggling like crazy. If anyone saw them they probably thought they'd lost their minds.

By the time they made it to Star Tours they were soaked from head to toe. The good thing was, Riley had been right, there was no line outside the building at all. There was a small replication of the tree village in Endor built around the waiting area, but it didn't offer solid protection overhead, so the people that had been in line there had taken shelter elsewhere.

Taking advantage of the emptiness, Lucas and Riley chased each other around the winding queue of strategically-placed railings and fake trees trunks, feeling lighthearted from their run in the rain. The ride attendant standing at the door shook her head at them, smiling, as they burst inside laughing breathlessly.

"I hope the short line was worth the trade-off of being dry," she joked.

"Yeah, me too," Lucas joked back somewhat ironically, running a hand through his wet hair and sending it spiking.

Smile still lingering on her face, Riley pulled the front of her sopping shirt away from her body and fanned it a little to help it air dry as they continued to wind around the queue inside.

They'd entered what appeared to be an airport, or more accurately, a spaceport, with metal walls, colored lights, and ductwork all around. A large screen high up on one wall listed departure times and showed travel advertisements for the otherworldly destinations that 'Star Tours' could take them to, while the PA system filtered in a constant stream of flight announcements, sometimes in the indecipherable language of another world.

Against the far wall, there was a docked space ship with replicas of R2-D2 and C-3P0 carrying on a conversation around it. It was set up to entertain the guests as they waited in line, with 3P0 making humorous comments and R2 answering him back in his language of blips and bleeps, but since this part of the waiting area was empty as well, Riley and Lucas passed it by with only a brief look.

Their feet made squishing sounds inside their wet shoes as they rounded a corner into a darker part of the building. This section had been made to look like some kind of robot construction and repair area, with electronics and robot parts strewn around at the side of the queue. A small talking robot, who was the one doing the repairs, interacted with the onlookers. It was here that they finally ran into the line of people who were waiting to get on the ride.

As they took their place at the end of the line and settled in to wait, they were finally able to deal with their uncomfortable state of wetness. Both began briskly rubbing at their arms and legs in an effort to wick away some of the water and encourage it to evaporate.

"Ugh, it's freezing in here." Riley shivered as the air conditioning made goosebumps spring up all over her skin.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Probably just because we're wet. Here," thought occurring to him, he reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out the t-shirt he'd bought earlier. "We can dry off with this."

She didn't immediately reach to take it from him, instead asking, "Didn't you get that for Zay?" When he indicated that he had, she made a small sound of amused objection. "You can't give him a shirt we've both used as a towel."

"Why not? He won't ever know," he said humorously, his eyes twinkling devilishly.

"Lucas," she laughed in protest.

"I'm kidding," he said with a smile. "I'll just keep it and find him another one later."

Objections satisfied, she took it from him and wiped off her arms and legs. When she was finished, she handed it back so he could do the same.

Hands now free, she brought them up to try and smooth back her hair where it was gathered into the ponytail. "I must look like a drowned rat," she said self-consciously.

Lucas looked at her as he was drying off his forearm. "Nope. Still beautiful," he assured her lightly.

Head tilting, her face melted into a smile that was both flattered and loving.

After bending over to dry off his legs, he straightened to find Riley huddled in on herself with her arms crossed over her chest. Finished with the shirt, he reached behind her to wrap it around her shoulders like a blanket and pulled the two ends together tightly at her front.

"Better?" he asked, rubbing her upper arms through the fabric of the shirt.

"Yeah," she said gratefully, holding the shirt closed within her own fists. It was damp, but it did help stave off the air-conditioned chill. "But what about you?"

"I'm fine now that I'm dry," he said dismissively.

The line moved forward a good bit, and it continued to move steadily. The ride took place in what was essentially a small theater, and there were several of them running simultaneously. So each time one got finished, a number of people were ushered forward from the line to fill the theater for the next run. And since there was a smaller number of people in line to begin with, it wasn't long before Riley and Lucas found themselves at the head of the line.

There were no nervous butterflies while waiting this time, only eager anticipation. The flight simulation ride was another favorite for both of them. It was made even better because they'd both seen all the Star Wars movies. Farkle was a huge Star Wars fan, and he'd seen to it that the rest of them had seen the movies by bringing them whenever it was his choice on movie night. Maya and Isadora were the only ones who weren't really into them. Riley wasn't crazy about all of them, but she liked the early years of Padme and Anakin. And Lucas loved Han and Chewey.

None of those characters were actually featured on the ride, but it made things more fun to be able get all the references made to the movies in the themed area all around them and on the movie that was the main feature of the ride.

Once they reached the front of the line, they were given 3D glasses, and then they had only to wait for the ride in progress to get finished. They were standing outside a row of doors, and there were small screens set into the wall above them showing a countdown of the minutes they had left to wait.

When the countdown reached 0:00 the doors popped open and a small group was allowed to board. Riley and Lucas shuffled in amidst them, holding hands so they didn't get separated. Inside, it looked like the interior of a small passenger ship, with seats laid out like a movie theater. The young couple picked a row near the center and filed in behind several others who'd also chosen to sit in that row.

Once everyone was seated, a flight attendant instructed them to fasten their seatbelts and stow everything they were carrying in the catch-all beneath their seats. Riley gave Lucas his t-shirt back and they both bent to stow their gift bags. When they were back upright, they shared a smile of anticipation before putting on their glasses for the show.

The lights dimmed to near-darkness, and a retractable door at the front of the room slid open to reveal a screen spanning the width of the wall. There, in a projected image, was the view out of the front of their ship. It showed that they were inside a hangar bay, with other ships coming and going, and bustling activity taking place on the floor.

C-3P0 was sitting at the side of the screen in the cockpit area, and he was arguing with a disembodied voice who was referring to him as the captain, saying that he had only been checking the systems, he wasn't really the pilot. R2-D2 could also be heard over a speaker, whistling and beeping from the unseen co-pilot's seat.

The argument was interrupted when a group of Storm Troupers came running up to the front windshield of the ship. They told them that they were looking for a rebel spy and demanded to know if she was on board. A small robot shined a light inside as if it were scanning them, and after a moment it made a wordless exclamation. One of the Storm Troupers cried that this was the speeder they were looking for and gave the order to blast them.

As the shots from their laser guns began to flash, 3P0 called out to R2 to get them out of there, and the image on the screen made it look as if they were moving towards the hangar bay door. The small 'theater' they were in was actually a simulator, so when the camera angle on the screen rose to emulate upward movement, hydraulics lifted the platform beneath their seats at the same time, creating the illusion that their ship had just risen off the ground.

They flew out the open door into the blackness of space, and immediately found themselves surrounded by a cluster of large ships. Their seats swayed and dipped as they maneuvered their way between them, then small fighters started flying straight at them. Their weapons discharged in staccato streaks of light and a high-pitched _tchew-tchew-tchew_ of sound as one after another came at them firing. 3P0 was exclaiming anxiously over the situation the entire time, and he yelled at R2 that he better not dare jump them into light speed. But the little robot didn't listen.

In the next moment, the screen was filled with stars streaking past them in a duplication of the effect used in the movies when a ship shifted into light speed. The stars became blurry streaks of light flying at them in a sort of cone effect while they shot through the center of them. Then the blur flying towards them at the outer edges of the screen became streams of blue light with starbursts shot through it, and at its center, far ahead, was a bright pinprick of white. Their seats had pitched forward and were swaying up and down slightly, and Riley laughed at the giddy sensation of flying through a wormhole at warp speed.

When they finally shot through the center of the wormhole, they found themselves approaching a large planet. The surface of the planet flew past below them until they were low enough that they were flying in its atmosphere.

Some of the other ships had obviously come through with them because they were still engaged in a firefight. They flew low over a desert landscape, still swooping and tilting evasively as the small ships flying around shot at them. The hulking carcasses of downed ships littered the sands below, and they flew around, and sometimes through, them in their retreat.

Suddenly a small burst of fire exploded at the bottom of the screen and the simulator gave them a sharp jolt. They'd been hit, and now they were falling into the dark, open maw of a decaying ship. They were in a narrow shaft, and their seats moved bumpily and jarred them each time their ship collided with the walls close around them as they kept falling.

3P0 was crying out the entire way down, then they crashed to the bottom with a jerk.

In the abrupt cessation of sound, there were several laughs and remarks of appreciation from the audience. A small voice in the back piped up, asking, "Did we crash, Daddy?", drawing more laughs. Riley threw a smiling look over her shoulder towards the source of the remark and then she and Lucas shared a grin over the cuteness of it.

3P0 again demanded that R2 get them out of there, and when their systems rebooted he complied. They flew up out of the bowels of the ship until they were back in space.

Once again amongst the stars, they received a holographic transmission from BB-8, the droid in one of the more recent movies. He was on a mission with vital information to deliver and he said he needed their help. 3P0 was against the idea, but their little robotic co-pilot took matters into his own hands, and in the next moment they were shifting into light speed again.

When they emerged this time, they were surrounded by an even larger number of ships, and the firefight was on again. There was more firing and evading, their ship shuddering time and again as explosions rocked the screen, the small fighters hitting their targets on the much larger carrier ships they were flying over.

Then the flash of a weapon blasted apart a piece of the ship right in front of them, creating a huge fiery explosion. They ran right into the middle of it, flames covering the screen, and it sent their ship careening out of control.

They were falling again, this time nose first, their seats tilted far forward and jouncing as they rushed downward through the starry blackness towards something undecipherable far away.

There were armrests on the sides of their seats, and Lucas had his hands braced on his when the nose-diving sensation of falling overtook them. Instead of grabbing her own armrest, Riley gripped Lucas's arm, the same as she did when they watched a scary movie. He wasn't sure she realize she was doing it now any more than she did at those times. As he did when he was soothing her at the movies, he reached across with his other hand and covered the small fingers that were grasping his arm to give them a comforting squeeze.

The indistinct something they were falling towards turned out to be a dark city with lit skyscrapers all around. Lucas and Riley both recognized it as the same cityscape that was in the movie 'Attack of the Clones' when Anakin and Obi Wan had chased the assassin. When their ship leveled out, they were in the middle of fast-flowing traffic, but instead of cars it was small space ships and speeders.

Horns honked at them as they flew through the midst of the traffic in an out-of-control bob and weave pattern. They flew through a tunnel with ships flying towards them and 3P0 yelled at R2 that they were going the wrong way.

Finally he pointed out a platform where they could land and R2 brought them in to a stop. A voice on the coms welcomed them and thanked them for getting their colleague there safe, and 3P0 remarked to the audience that they were all part of the rebel alliance now.

The retractable door closed over the screen and the lights came back on, signaling the end of the ride. Riley and Lucas gathered their things and rose to file out with everyone else. Out in the passageway, they followed the crowd walking toward the exit.

Feeling slightly unsteady after the shifting ride, Riley wavered towards Lucas when they took their first steps on the solid concrete floor.

"Sorry," she apologized as they both laughed, "I guess I don't have my sea legs yet."

"Technically, I think it's that you don't have your land legs," Lucas corrected fondly. Taking her hand in his, he brought it up between them in a steadying clasp. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall off the earth," he promised with a grin.

"My hero," she returned impishly, leaning into his side.

The exit from this ride ended in a gift shop as well, with every Star Wars themed object imaginable on sale. They'd already picked up a can koozie shaped like R2-D2, and a t-shirt with a Jedi Training Academy logo on it for Farkle the last time they were there, so they didn't linger to shop.

They exited the store to find that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly again. Where the heat had been humid and a bit uncomfortable before, stepping out into the sunny warmth was welcome at that moment, with their clothes still sticking to them clammily.

"Ahh, that feels good!" Riley threw her arms out briefly and lifted her face to revel in the rays beating down on them, an ironic twist, since it was practically the same pose she'd welcomed the rain with earlier.

"Yeah, who knew 96 degrees could feel so great," Lucas replied humorously, walking at her side.

By mutual consent, they headed back to Hollywood Boulevard and the entry gate at its end. When they were mid-way down the street, Riley noticed the iconic Disney characters who were mingling in the crowd ahead of them.

"Awww! Minnie's wearing an evening gown," she exclaimed, her tone enchanted.

Instead of her usual red and white polka-dotted dress, this costumed Minnie Mouse was dressed in a long frothy gown with a matching purple bow cocked over her signature ears.

"And look! Mickey's in a matching tux," she pointed at the mouse, who was further away. "They look like they're ready for the red carpet or something," she said in delight, a smile wreathing her face.

The two characters were interacting with different parts of the crowd, shaking their hands, signing autographs, and posing for pictures.

"We have to get a picture with them," Riley determined, towing him towards the two mice by the hand.

"We've already had our pictures taken with them," Lucas protested mildly as he let himself be pulled. "Twice, as a matter of fact. At the Magic Kingdom _and_ at the Animal Kingdom."

"Yeah, but now they're wearing evening wear," she pointed out, as if that was an obvious enough reason for a third picture with the two characters.

There was no line to determine who was next, the characters were just moving from person to person in the crowd around them as each moved forward to interact with them. Riley and Lucas made their way to the front of the gathering, making sure they didn't push ahead of anyone who had been there first. It took a little while, but they finally got to take their turn with them.

"Hi, Minnie, you look so pretty," Riley told her smilingly.

The person inside the costume wasn't allowed to speak, so she had to communicate with gestures. At Riley's compliment, Minnie's hands went up to her cheeks as if she were embarrassed or flattered, then she blew a two-handed kiss in thanks.

"Can we get a picture with both of you?" Riley asked, gesturing to Mickey, who was shaking someone's hand.

Minnie nodded exaggeratedly, then reached to get Mickey's attention by tapping on his arm. When he turned, she gestured him over and pointed at Riley, who held up her phone to indicate that she wanted a picture. He waved goodbye to the boy he'd been engaged with then came over to join his lady mouse.

He waved hello to Riley, and she smiled back. "Hi, Mickey. Love your tux." Both his hands went up to his heart and made a pulsing gesture out and in as if she'd made his heart pound, and Riley laughed delightedly.

"Hey, back off, man, she's taken," Lucas joked, stepping forward so he was closer to his girlfriend's side.

Mickey's hands went up in surrender, and Riley laughed again. Turning to a young woman standing next to them who looked to be in her twenties, Riley looked at her in appeal. "Would you mind taking one of both of us?" she asked, holding up her phone.

"Yeah, sure," the girl agreed, taking the phone from her and moving out in front of them.

Lucas and Riley put their arms around each other, and Mickey and Minnie got into place behind them, their arms going around each other in a matching pose, with their free hands on the young couple's shoulders.

"Ready?" The unknown girl held the phone up to frame them on the screen, and after a count of three, snapped the picture.

"Thank you so much," Riley told her, taking the phone the girl handed back to her. Turning back to the characters, she extended her thanks, saying, "Thank you, guys, that was perfect!"

Minnie patted her on the shoulder, and both mice waved to them, then turned to the next person clamoring for their attention.

As Riley and Lucas moved away, he had to guide her through the throng of people because she was too busy pulling the picture up on her phone's screen so she could see it. She gave a little bounce of glee at how cute it was and showed it to Lucas, smiling hugely.

"Look at those perfect couples," she bubbled.

"Perfect." Lucas smiled at her affectionately, tickled by her child-like enthusiasm, and loving her even more for it.

"You're not even looking at the picture," she scolded, lightly swatting his arm as they walked side-by-side. "And I'm not a kid, it's just cute," she added, knowing what he was thinking just by his expression.

Lucas laughed. "I know you're not a kid. A kid wouldn't flirt with The Mouse. The Head Honcho. The Big Cheese," he teased. "And right in front of Mrs. Mouse too."

"I wasn't flirting! I just told him he looked nice," she argued protestingly. "I would never do that to my girl, Minnie."

Nodding in acknowledgement, he conceded, "Guess I can't blame the guy for getting all flustered by your compliment. My girl's got a smile that can melt the heart of mice and men," he said with fond humor, pulling her to him with an arm around her neck and pressing a kiss into her hair.

Riley let herself be pulled into his side and braced her hand on his chest as they walked. At his words, she looked up at him and gave him one of those heart-melting smiles while they continued on with her tucked into the hollow of his shoulder.

When they got to the front gate, they caught one of the Disney transportation buses and took it over to Epcot. There was hardly any wait at the entrance there since it was nearing the middle of the day, and when they got through they headed towards the landmark that the park was known for, Spaceship Earth. Or the giant silver golf ball, as Ava referred to it.

They'd decided on the bus that they were only going to hit two rides there, since their time was somewhat limited. And to further save time, they were going to get Fast Passes for both of them, and while they were waiting for the time on the first Pass to arrive, they'd go have lunch.

Plan made, they had to go from one side of the park to the other to set up the two passes. Riley had picked up a map at the front gate to guide them because for some reason she got turned around really easily in this particular park. And since Lucas had only been there the once, he didn't exactly remember the way. So, with map in hand, they headed over to the Soarin' attraction first.

As they walked, Riley took a moment to appreciate how much less hectic things felt there. Epcot had a completely different ambiance from the other Disney parks. It leaned more towards the contemporary, and even futuristic, in the architectural design of its buildings, with none of the themed fantasy elements that were so prevalent in the other parks.

But it was beautiful in its own right, with its abundant landscaped areas around all the walkways, the interestingly shaped buildings housing the attractions, and of course, the different atmospheres created in each of the countries that were represented in the World Showcase. But the fact that the attractions were much more spread out there made it feel a little less congested, and somehow leisurely, as they made the relatively long walk from one to the other.

After they got through at the Fast Pass kiosk at Test Track, the other attraction they wanted to ride, they had an hour and ten minutes to kill before their Soarin' pass was valid.

"So... lunch in Paris?" Lucas suggested with a small grin, his brow quirked in question

"Yay," she smiled in delight at the idea. "Absolutely."

He offered her the crook of his arm, and, giggling, she looped her own through it, and they set off.

Getting to the France pavilion took another long walk. The World Showcase itself was a mile-long stretch, ringing a lagoon, and was divided into sections that represented eleven different countries. But even just getting to Showcase Plaza, the souvenir pavilion that was the starting point of the encircling countries, was a pretty good trek in itself.

The sun was back at full-strength, pounding down on them as they walked. And by the time they'd made it to Canada, the first country they had to pass through on their way to France, Riley was fanning herself with her folded-up map.

"Boy, it's hot."

"Yeah, 96 degrees isn't feeling so great anymore," he replied dryly.

Widening her strokes of the map so that she was fanning him too, she joked, "I thought Canada was supposed to be cooler than this."

Lucas snorted a silent laugh. "Not Disney World Canada apparently."

"Well, at least our clothes are dry now," she said optimistically.

"Yeah, there is that," he agreed.

They made their way through Canada, with its rocky waterfall, timber structures, and trading post. Then came the castle-like structure and quaint village shops of Great Britain, most prominently featuring a pub, a food vendor selling fish and chips, and several of the red glass-paned telephone booths that are so often associated with the British country.

France was next, and Riley was just as enamored with the Disney representation of the country as she felt like she would be with the real thing. She'd always dreamed of going to Paris; outdoor cafes, French bistros, the Eiffel tower... she just wanted to experience the wonderful, romantic atmosphere of the place. Later, that had become a dream of hers and Lucas's both.

Paris had held a special meaning to them ever since Lucas had said something to her in French one day when they were in their middle school art class together. She hadn't understood what he said at the time, but in high school she'd started taking French herself. And it had become something of a game, while she was learning the language, to try and figure out what he'd said to her that day. Lucas had played along, repeating the phrase back to her with a secret smile every time she asked him to. But he'd substituted a different word or two in the phrase every time, so it had taken nearly the whole school year before she'd managed to translate it.

When she was finally able to tell him that he'd said, 'Maybe someday we'll go to Paris together,' he'd congratulated her with a smiling kiss. And then he'd added an even longer phrase to her repertoire when he said to her in French, "Now that you know the language, we have to go. Paris is the city of love after all. And I definitely qualify for that."

It had been his way of telling her that he loved her for the first time, and it had been made even more special because he'd said it in such a beautiful language. One of her biggest regrets was that she hadn't been able to say it back to him that day. They'd been going out on dates, and she knew that she did love him, but she'd still worried that they might somehow end up losing each other if they totally committed to a romantic relationship and it didn't work out.

It had taken her a little while, but she'd managed to work through her reservations, and when she'd finally been able to say that she loved him too, she'd told it to him in French.

Ever since then, they'd talked seriously about going to Paris together someday, maybe after they'd both graduated from college. But, for now, this was the next best thing

There was a giddy little bounce in her step that Lucas observed with affection as they crossed over a slightly arched bridge with wrought iron railings into a little version of Paris. Striped awnings and paned windows with tall shutters graced the Parisian shops that formed a small nook there. At its center, a narrow pool with low fountains was gurgling away, its multiple arcs and flumes of water sparkling in the midday sun. Clusters of flower pots and hanging baskets with their colorful blooms spilling over, were all around, adding quaintness to the overall picture it presented. And overlooking it all was a scaled-down replica of the Eiffel tower, its metal filigreed top peeking over the roofs of the buildings.

Riley tried to breathe it all in with the full range of her senses, the outdoor speakers emitting the sound of flowing accordion music lending an audible component that only added to the French flavor of the scene.

"I love it," she sighed happily. "Can we live here?"

Lucas chuckled softly and willingly played along. "Yeah, we can fix up a little apartment over one of the shops there." He gestured to the second story that was a feature of all the small shops and restaurants. They were probably just faux windows up there, decorated as they were with balconies and window boxes, and likely had nothing behind them, but their imaginations could fix that small detail.

And they did, Riley letting hers run wild as she said dreamily, "Can you imagine being able to look out your window and see the Eiffel tower all lit up at night?"

"Or waking up every morning and having coffee and croissants for breakfast-"

"-at the little outdoor cafe down the street," Riley finished his thought.

"Sunday strolls on the Champs-Elysees..."

"Having dinner on the tiny balcony of our apartment..."

"Pastries from the boulangerie for dessert..."

"Browsing through the Louvre on the weekends..." Riley sighed wistfully. "Doesn't it sound amazing, Lucas?"

His faraway look nearly matched hers, and when he came back to the present, his lips quirked in a smile. "We'll get there one day," he promised, lifting her clasped hand to his lips and pressing a small kiss of compensation to her knuckles.

They had lunch at Les Chefs de France, which boasted some of the best French chefs in the world. But even before they tasted the food they were impressed. The restaurant was beautiful. It's lightly golden interior complemented the darker burnt gold that was on the outside of the building. There were white linen cloths on the tables and matching napkins, folded into peaks, at every place setting. And the many-globed light fixtures added a warm golden glow as they reflected off the buttery cream of the walls. The elegance was further enhanced by arched mirrors, doors, and square columns that sectioned off the room.

Lucas and Riley were ushered across an amber patterned carpet to their table in the sunroom. They'd requested one there in front of the row of arched windows lining the outer wall of the restaurant, and luckily, a couple had just vacated one right before they got there. Sunlight spilled in through the bank of green-trimmed windows. Outside, they could see passersby coming and going, and further out, the sparkling water of the lagoon.

Their waiter was originally from France, which wasn't that unusual, as Disney employed a number of people that were native to the countries represented in the World Showcase. His name was Bastien, and he was very friendly and personable. Best of all, he was willing, and even eager, to answer all the questions Riley and Lucas peppered him with about his home when they found out where he was from. When he found out they knew the language, he switched back and forth randomly between English and French as he talked to them and gestured animatedly with his hands. They occasionally answered him back in his language, and when he complimented Riley on her accent she blushed, but her smile could have lit up the room.

He gave them recommendations on the food, and Riley ended up ordering the 'Croque monsieur et sa salade verte', which was a French toasted ham and goat cheese sandwich with a green salad, and Lucas asked for the 'Steack hache Angus, champignons et Bearnaise, salade ou frites', an Angus onion and mushroom burger with bearnaise on a brioche bun, served with fries in a newspaper cone.

"I can't believe you ordered a burger and fries in a French restaurant," she teased after Bastien had served them with their food.

"Hey, it came with _French_ fries," Lucas argued back good-naturedly, holding one aloft as if she needed visual proof. "Besides, you got a ham and cheese sandwich. That's not exactly French cuisine you got going there, tiger," he pointed his fry at the toasted bread with cheese melted over the top that was sitting on her plate.

Riley made a face at him and laughed, but her only answer was a rapturous, "Mmmmm," when she bit into the flavorful sandwich she held at her lips, and her eyes fell closed in bliss. After she'd chewed and swallowed, she said, "Say what you want, this is _amazing_."

"Well, mine's pretty awesome too," he told her after he'd tasted it. "I think it's the haute cuisine of burgers if that makes you feel any better."

Riley huffed a gust of laughter but didn't argue with him any further, she was too busy savoring her sandwich.

For the rest of the meal they chatted about different incidents that had happened during their vacation, things they had planned to do over the summer, and they mused about what their friends at home were doing at that moment.

Bastien checked on them several times and they continued to chat with him as well. He'd led an interesting life, had seen a lot of the world, and he really wasn't that much older than them, only 27.

When they were finished and about to leave, he brought his hands together in front of his waist and tipped his head to them, saying charmingly, "Monsieur, mademoiselle, eet 'as been a delight. When you come to my country, I would consider eet an honor eef you would come to my 'ome in Montrouge while you are zere. Zen, you weel be among friends when you are een a foreign land."

"Merci beaucoup, Bastien," they both thanked him warmly.

"Nous sommes honores de vous avoir rencontre," Lucas told him, saying that they were honored to have met him.

"Vous avez ete merveilleux," Riley added, which translated to 'you have been wonderful', or more literally, 'marvelous'.

"Merci, merci," Bastien nodded his thanks. "Je l'espere vous revoir, mes amis." _I hope to see you again, my friends._

"We hope so too," Riley answered. "Thank you for being so patient with us and answering all of our questions."

"No, no, eet was my pleasure," he replied quickly, pronouncing the last word plez-yur. "Eet ees most...'ow you say... exciting? To find someone 'ere wees such an interest een my country. 'Sank you for geeving me ze opportunity to speak of eet."

They left the restaurant with a feeling of pleasure in both the food and the company.

They didn't have a lot of time left before they needed to get back to the other side of the park in compliance with their Fast Pass, but they'd forgone dessert with their meal so they could stop in at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie and get one of the tantalizing pastries they created there.

But choosing what kind they wanted was no quick, easy task. There were so many to choose from, and they all looked incredibly delicious. There were small tarts garnished with strawberries and poufs of chocolate, and some of lemon topped with fat dollops of meringue, square parfait cups layered with a variety of mousses and whipped toppings, eclairs with vanilla and chocolate icing, flan topped with cherry jelly, puff pastries layered with fluffy creams, and everything was decorated and garnished with small flourishes that made the entire offering seem like a colorful display of art.

The selections were laid out in a buffet style that wasn't unsimilar to the lunch line in their school cafeteria. Riley and Lucas fell in behind the patrons who were perusing the tasty-looking treats in a line formation, and shuffled along at their pace while they did their own perusing.

"What are you going to get?" she asked after they'd been looking for several moments.

"Mm, I was thinking either the white chocolate mousse cake or the Napoleon."

Riley's face brightened with a pleased expression. "I was thinking about the chocolate mousse cake too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You wanna share? That way, it'll be like we're both getting two."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed smilingly.

When they'd purchased their treats, they took them outside to eat. The pastry shop was one of several eateries on the narrow street, and there were small bistro tables with chairs in front of most of the establishments there. The couple found an empty one and sat side-by-side, Lucas with his puffed pastry layered with cream, and Riley with the small chocolate glazed cake. They each ate a few bites from their own treat, then took turns feeding each other a forkful.

They were both mouth-wateringly delicious, and Riley savored the yummy flavors as much as the French atmosphere she was trying to soak up to carry with her. Pulling her eyes away from the turreted bakery, she found Lucas looking at her as she went to focus back on her cake.

Smiling, she said playfully, "Bonjour, Lucas."

Grinning, he tipped his head, replying, "Bonjour, Riley. J'ai apprecie notre sejour à Paris." Translated, it meant 'I've enjoyed our time in Paris'.

Riley giggled softly. "I have too," she replied as she fed him a bite of her cake. As he chewed, she wiped a small bit of chocolate icing off the corner of his lip with her thumb. "And I think the best part was that I was here with you."

Lucas's face softened with pleasure, touched by her proclamation.

"Because, you know," she continued before he could answer, "Paris _is_ the city of love. And I definitely qualify for that." Smiling, she held his eyes meaningfully as she said the words he'd first given to her years ago. His first declaration of love.

Further touched that she remembered what he'd said all that time ago, and that now she was laying the sentiment at his feet, when before, she'd had trouble saying it back, Lucas looked at her with his heart in his eyes.

"Then I guess we both qualify," he told her, his voice husky with emotion.

Riley nodded slightly, still smiling softly. "I guess we do."

Lifting a hand to cup her cheek, he leaned over to kiss her. Warm breath mingled as she parted her lips and tipped her head to accommodate his. Their mouths brushed one another's lightly, then Lucas dipped in to make a firmer pass. Riley opened to him when his lips took possession fully, and they moved together with a tender heatedness, their tongues touching fleetingly.

His forehead came to rest gently against hers when the kiss went back to a soft brushing of mouths, their breath coming a little bit faster.

"You taste like chocolate," she murmured with a faint smile.

Lucas emitted a single note of low laughter. "So do you." He plucked another kiss from her lips.

"Now," they kissed again, "Paris will always remind me of chocolate kisses." They laughed together quietly, his thumb stroking her cheek.

With one last kiss, he raised his head and said regretfully, "As much as I hate this to end, we probably need to go if we're going to make that ride."

"Yeah," she sighed with equal reluctance. "But this has been perfect, Lucas. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon in Paris." Laying her hand on his jaw, she kissed him this time.

When it drew to a close, Lucas made a gruff little humming sound of pleasure, and replied, "Thank _you_."

They smiled into one another's eyes for a moment, then finished up what was left on their dishes.

Before getting up to gather their things and find somewhere to dump their trash, Riley said, "Wait, just one more thing." Pulling out her phone, she set it up for a picture, saying in explanation, "To remember it by."

Lucas smiled in compliance, and they leaned in close to one another, cheek to cheek, as she held the phone out in front of them at arm's length to take a selfie with the backdrop of Paris.

After they'd gotten their trash taken care of, they separated to take a quick bathroom break, then met back up to head over to Soarin'. They ended up having to hurry because they were really pushing it on the time, and for the last hundred yards or so they broke into a run.

"At least it's not raining!" Riley called out to him as they were running hand-in-hand once again.

Lucas laughed and continued to lead the way, dodging around people and apologizing as they went.

They made it with under a minute to spare, out of breath and perspiring in the heat.

"Cutting it close?" the ride attendant asked with a smile as they checked in the passes on their wristbands.

"Well, we came all the way from France on foot, so actually we made pretty good time," Riley told him jokingly.

He laughed at her quip, and Lucas ushered her in front of him with a grin of amusement.

It was a relief to enter the air-conditioned building, even if they did have to wait a bit. There were interactive games at the side of the queue to help pass the time in line, but Riley and Lucas spent most of their time chatting, standing face-to-face, with both hands linked with the other's. As they talked, their clasped hands playfully stretched each other's arms out to their sides, came up to play palm-to-palm near their shoulders, and swung the other's out and in idly.

When they got through the line, they were directed into the room where the ride took place. It was another theater, but this one was much larger than the simulator on Star Tours. It was more in keeping with an actual movie theater. There were rows of seats with high backs and canopies, one behind the other, and they were divided into three sections across the room. When everyone was seated and buckled in, the seats were lifted into the air by a crane of sorts. Each row had its own lift system, and when the lift was complete, they were 40 feet in the air, legs dangling, and had been pushed forward towards the screen so that it filled their line of vision.

Riley and Lucas swung their feet leisurely, along with most others in the audience, as they waited for the movie to begin. Each consecutive row of seats had been lifted higher than the one behind it so that the front row was the highest, and that was where they'd chosen their seat, so that no one's feet could be seen dangling above them. The screen in front of them was concave and it was huge, stretching from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. It was basically a very large IMAX screen.

When the lights went down and the movie came to life, they were flying. Clouds rushed by below them on the screen, nothing above them but blue sky, as they soared above cotton candy wisps of white. Wind blew in their faces via Disney magic, and they broke through the clouds to find The Golden Gate Bridge just ahead. Their seats tilted slightly along with the image on the screen as they made a slow banking maneuver to fly along the length of the well-known bridge, the cars traveling across it as small as toys from their great height.

The lift system swayed their seats gently, and that, combined with the breeze rushing at them, and the moving video from the perspective of the camera, really did give the breathless sensation that they were flying. Riley loved it. It wasn't a thrill ride by any means, but it was still spectacular, accompanied as it was, by a soundtrack of majestic music.

The scene on the screen changed, and they were flying above a creek in a narrow, green canyon. Kayaks and boats of different sizes were paddling down the stream. They swept down low over the water, so close it felt like they were skimming its surface, and as they passed by the boats they could hear the people in them calling out to each other and laughing.

At the next change of scene, there was a field full of some indeterminate crop flying past below them, and as they approached an upcoming treeline they swung up quickly so that they could pass over it. They barely seemed to clear them, brushing over them so closely that Riley almost expected her feet to drag through the tops of the branches. When they cleared the trees, they were in the middle of a large cluster of hot air balloons, their bright multi-colored patterns set off by the blue skies around them.

They soared above an ocean coastline, waves crashing and seagulls crying overhead, then their seats tilted back as they went rushing up the side of a snow-covered mountain. The wind in their faces became distinctly colder as they climbed up towards the peak, flying past aspen trees and fast-moving skiers, who were whooping their enjoyment while they zigzagged down the slopes on their skis.

There were several more consecutive scenes, a massive waterfall spilling down the side of a cliff, a green valley at the foot of surrounding mountains, and a manicured golf course, where the swing of a golfer sent his ball slicing through the air straight at them.

When they passed over the tops of a green grove of trees, the smell of oranges wafted tantalizingly through the air. There were rows and rows of orange trees, their bright-colored fruits barely discernible as they rushed past underneath their dangling feet.

The last scenes were Riley's favorite. The screen turned dark and they were flying through the night sky above the twinkling lights of a widespread city. A busy highway bustled with traffic, the headlights and red taillights streaming by rapidly, as they followed the curve of the freeway.

Then the night scene changed, and they were soaring above a brightly-lit Disneyland at Christmas. They flew down the length of Main Street, strung with glittering lights, towards the castle that rose up at the end of it. An animated Tinkerbell appeared in front of them, scattering pixie dust and flying off to light the way ahead of them to the castle. And then fireworks were exploding all around them, their bright bursts of color and light filling the screen in brilliant patterns until the screen went dark.

Everyone applauded as the movie concluded, and Riley looked at Lucas with a lingering expression of delight coloring her features.

"I wish we could go again," she said immediately.

He laughed, but said willingly, "We can, if you want. We can just skip Animal Kingdom today."

Riley considered it as their seats went back down to ground level and they unstrapped themselves to leave.

"You wanted to do Everest again though," she remembered. "So we should go to Animal Kingdom."

They continued to discuss it as they walked to the exit, with him insisting he didn't mind if they stayed in Epcot, and her equally adamant that they go to the other park. She thought he was sweet for being willing to give up something he wanted to do in order to make her happy, but it was his first trip to Disney, and she wanted to be sure that he got to do everything he wanted.

In the end, they decided not to change their plans. They went to use their other pass at Fast Track, which was an attraction that lets you design your own car, then uses those specifications as you ride through a real vehicle test track and see how your design scores in the different test environments.

Riley let Lucas design the car by way of a touch screen with a multitude of options, including the shape, color, and mechanical specs for their vehicle. She looked over his shoulder and made an occasional suggestion, and they decided on the paint scheme together, but he did the rest himself. When he was finished, the screen showed an image of a long, sleek car with slightly oversized tires and fancy rims. The body was painted a deep purple, and it had intricate detailing on the hood and down the sides.

"Can't you just see yourself driving down the road in something that looks like that?" he smirked, knowing the design wasn't practical in the least.

"Hey, don't make fun. You're looking at my dream car," Riley joked back. "I think I might ask for one for my birthday."

"And your dad will probably go out and have one made for you," he replied knowingly, his warm tone and teasing smile keeping the words from sounding harsh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said in mock affront. "You saying I'm a daddy's girl or something?"

"I didn't say that," he denied smoothly. "I just implied it really hard," he concluded with a grin.

The vehicles that actually took people through the ride were small identical cars, but a computer kept track of all of Lucas's input, and each test rated how his design would perform as they proceeded down the track. It was tested for capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power, the last test taking them to a part of the track that was outside the building, and accelerating their vehicle to 60 mph.

"Your dream car didn't do so well in the capability and responsiveness tests, and it was barely average in efficiency," Lucas told her when they were back at another touch screen, reading their results.

"That's okay," she said dismissively. "It looks cool, so I'd buy it anyway."

"I thought 'Daddy' was gonna be buying it for you," he reminded her teasingly.

"Probably not, if he found out it was failing all its tests. What kind of teacher would buy his daughter a car that didn't do well at car school?"

Lucas laughed at her mischievous response and answered her back in kind.

"Between your dad saying no to your purple dream car, and my mom putting an end to my rock star career before it gets started, this has been a really tough day for dreams."


	3. Chapter 3

_Ladies and gentlemen, please collect your belongings, watch your head and step, and take small children by the hand. We hope you enjoy your day at the Magic Kingdom._

 _*bing bong*_

At the sound of the electronic chime, the monorail doors slid open, and Lucas and Riley exited onto the concrete platform of the open air station outside the park's gates. They were already a few minutes late for the 3:00 o'clock meeting time with the rest of their group, and they still had to make it all the way to the castle, which was where they'd agreed to meet.

The front entrance of the park wasn't far from the monorail station, and they made their way through it with a swipe of their wristbands.

On the other side of the turnstile, a wide sloping bank lay sprawled at the base of a second-story railroad platform. Its beautifully landscaped lawn surrounded a conformation of hedges and flower beds that had been laid out to form a large medallion with the famous mouse ears at its center. At the top of the bank sat a Victorian style train station, adorned with gables and a high clock tower, and it was the first thing guests were presented with when they walked through the gate.

A train whistle sounded as they headed towards the short tunnel that passed under the tracks and into the park, Lucas forcing a slight speed to their steps by his grip on Riley's hand.

"We shouldn't have stayed for the Bug movie," he fretted, as they hurriedly crossed the cobblestoned courtyard to the underpass.

"Lucas, would you relax? I told you it's fine. They're probably just waiting for us on a bench somewhere. It's not like they'll mind the extra rest time. Well, the kids might," she amended. "But knowing my dad, he'll probably just turn it into a lesson on patience or something." Her tone was half-humorous when she said it, but the likelihood that it was true was actually pretty good.

"I know, I just don't like to be late," he continued to fuss. "Especially when it involves your dad."

Riley looked at him in affectionate understanding. "It'll be okay, I promise," she soothed.

The tunnel opened onto a large town square that served as a hub leading into Main Street. City Hall and the fire station were on one side, and Town Square Theater, a wide brick building with tall narrow columns on the front veranda, was on the other.

As soon as they exited the pass-through, their senses were assailed with the smell of buttery popcorn from a nearby vending cart, the jazzy sound of Ragtime music coming through the speakers, and the sight of an old fashioned Main Street, lined with gingerbread-trimmed buildings in bright pastels.

For some reason this particular park had a more magical feel to it than all the rest. Riley couldn't have said exactly why that was so. Maybe it was the sense that you'd entered a bygone era, with the storefronts and shops that had been designed to look like buildings from the turn of the century. From the Emporium, to the Confectionery, all the way down to the old fashioned ice-cream parlor at the other end of the street, they were all adorned with scrolled cornices, finials, wrought iron, and other fanciful trim, while gas lamps bearing hanging flower baskets lined the sidewalks that fronted them.

Or maybe it was simply the sight of the castle gleaming whitely in the distance, its many turrets and blue spires striking a note of enchantment against the backdrop of the clear sunny sky. The knowledge that there was a brand of fun you couldn't find anywhere else awaiting you in the fantastical lands that surrounded it might have also had something to do with it.

Riley didn't really have time to ponder it as she and Lucas entered the crowd of people that was wandering the square to hurry towards the white and blue castle. The sound of someone calling out made Riley glance aside from their path, and she did a double-take at the familiar figure leaning against the railing that ringed one of the tree-dotted flower beds.

"What is it?" Lucas inquired when she pulled him to a stop.

"It's my mother," she said in surprise, turning back to retrace their steps. "Hi, Mom," she greeted quizzically as they approached her.

"Hey, kids," the other woman replied with a smile, reaching out to hug her daughter. She'd been extra affectionate in recent weeks- possibly even a bit clingy- with the approaching departure of her firstborn from the nest drawing ever nearer. Riley had indulged her, perhaps dreading the prospect of imminent separation a bit herself. "Did you have a good time?" She directed the question to both of them as she stroked Riley's back in a short up and down movement while giving her a squeeze.

We had a **_great_** time!" Riley affirmed, pulling away from the hug, she and Lucas sharing a smile. "What about you guys? Have you had a good day?"

Topanga replied in the affirmative, but it didn't sound entirely convincing. "It's been fun, but we've been going at it pretty hard. Auggie and Ava took it into their heads that they wanted to do everything in the park today. Your father told them that wasn't possible, but that only seemed to make them more determined," she said dryly.

Riley made a sound of commiseration in her throat. "Poor mom and dad."

"You guys must be exhausted," Lucas put in, his expression both amused and sympathetic.

"Yeah, we're pretty tired," she agreed. "We started in Tomorrowland and we've almost made it to Liberty Square."

"Wow, you might actually manage to do it," Riley said, sounding surprised and impressed.

"That's the goal," Topanga said with questionable enthusiasm, pushing her fist up and out in a weak cheering gesture that left both teens tickled.

Putting her arm around Riley, she started them walking towards Main Street while they talked. Reaching back for Lucas, she linked her free arm through his and drew him along as well.

"What are you doing _here_?" Riley inquired. "I thought we were supposed to meet you guys at the castle."

"The kids wanted to watch the parade again so we've staked out our spot up the street. I was afraid we might end up missing each other so I came to watch for you at the gate."

"Didn't the parade start at 3:00 the other day?" Lucas asked, checking to make sure he hadn't misread the time on his watch.

"Yeah, it's already started, but since it comes up Main Street last we've probably still got a few minutes," Topanga replied.

It became too difficult to continue walking three abreast when they reached the street, so conversation between them came to a halt. The sidewalks were packed with waiting spectators, and there was only a narrow path left open between people and storefronts for anyone to walk. With Topanga in the lead, they maneuvered their way down the street, only stopping when they'd nearly reached the end.

Halting right before the corner restaurant, Topanga entered the fray at the curb, excusing herself to the front of the crowd where the rest of her family was waiting.

When she drew even with her husband, she told him smilingly, "Look what I found." Stepping to the side, she made way for Riley to move up between them.

"Hey! _There's_ my grown-up daughter and her shiftless boyfriend," he greeted with genial affection, reaching out to give her a one-armed hug.

"Dad," Riley chided mildly, rolling her eyes, but her lips were curved with amused indulgence as she returned the hug. She didn't have to look at Lucas to know that he was smiling and shaking his head too.

Lately her dad had taken to calling him shiftless after he'd heard the term used to describe a woman's no-good fiance in an old black and white movie they'd all watched together one night. Everyone tolerated the ridiculous moniker because they all knew Lucas was anything but shiftless. It was just the current passing phase in Lucas and her dad's thing where they picked at each other with easy affection.

"Here, you two get in front of us. You're the kids," Cory went on to say as he ushered her in front of him on the sidewalk.

"You just said I was grown up," she pointed out, letting herself be maneuvered.

"Well, you're less grown up than me," he amended.

"You sure about that?" Lucas murmured humorously, following his girlfriend into place ahead of the elder Matthews.

Riley giggled, thinking she was the only one who'd heard him, but they were proven wrong when Cory said sternly, "I heard that!" Taking no real offense, he put a hand between Lucas's shoulder blades to help him along, adding in a grumble, "Just pipe down and accept my generosity."

"Yes, sir," the teenager accepted with a smile.

"Hi, guys," Riley greeted her brother and his girlfriend. The two ten-year-olds were sitting cross-legged on the curb, a prime position to watch the parade from. They chimed a greeting in reply, craning their heads back to look up at them from the ground. "Aw, look at your little princess ears," she exclaimed, admiring the pink Minnie ears Ava was wearing. A little rhinestone tiara with a pink jewel in the center was banded across the front, underneath stitching that read 'Disney Princess', and a sheer length of tulle hung down from the back. "Those are so cute! Where'd you find them?"

"That place in Storybook Circus," the younger girl answered.

"Big Top Souvenirs," Topanga added, in clarification.

"I want some," Riley said plaintively to Lucas.

He hid a grin at just how much she sounded like Ava in that moment. "Then I'll make it my life's mission to find you some," he said playfully, lightly tapping her on the nose.

She beamed up at him in response. "You're such a good boyfriend," she praised. They would have kissed then, but her dad was standing inside their personal bubble right along with them, so she hugged his arm to her front instead.

"Hey, Lucas," her brother called for his attention.

"Hey, Auggie," he returned cheerfully in the same tone.

"Dude, you should have been with us on the Seven Dwarfs roller coaster today," Auggie said exuberantly, turning so he was half-facing the other boy. "There was this girl wearing one of those Rapunzel things on her head? And the braid came undone in the middle of the ride so there was all this fake blonde hair flying around everywhere."

"Yeah," Ava took up the story gleefully, "And the people in the seats behind her had to fight all that hair blowing in their faces for the whole rest of the ride. They kept grabbing for the bar to hold on and trying to scrape the hair out of their eyes and mouths at the same time."

"It was great," Auggie finished enthusiastically with a laugh.

Lucas chuckled. "It sounds like it. Sorry I missed it," he said agreeably, exchanging a look of amusement with Riley over the story.

"We've done a bunch of other stuff too," Ava informed them. "So far we've been on every ride in Tomorrowland and almost all of Fantasyland," she said boastfully.

"So we heard," Riley nodded in acknowledgment of the feat, her expression properly impressed. "I don't know how you were able to ride so many. We didn't manage to do half that much."

"Well, we skipped some of the little kid rides," her brother admitted.

"And we've been working the Fast Pass system pretty hard," Cory put in.

"What all did you guys do?" Ava asked curiously.

She and Lucas recapped their day for them, starting with the two attractions they'd just done at Animal Kingdom and ending with the ones they'd ridden in Hollywood Studios that morning.

"Still didn't get her to do Tower of Terror, huh?" Auggie asked Lucas when they were done.

"Nope. Apparently being jerked up and down like a yo-yo isn't her thing," he said lightly, winking at Riley teasingly.

"That's pretty wimpy, sis. Me and Ava weren't too scared to ride it," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, you and Ava are clearly more fierce than me, you little daredevil. And I'm okay with that." She reached down to ruffle her brother's curls playfully, and he jerked his head away from her tousling fingers in disgruntlement. "Besides," she added, smiling cheekily, "I hear it makes you want your mommy, and I didn't have mine with me, so..." she trailed off with a shrug, sending an impudent look over her shoulder at her dad.

Everyone laughed at the droll remark, which was clearly a jab at Cory's overdramatic responses on the ride. Even though most of them suspected that his reactions had been put on, they still carried on the joke.

Even Cory went along with it when he deadpanned in response, "Ha ha. Yes, let's all laugh at the man who can't control what comes out of his mouth when he thinks he's about to die."

"It's nice to know you think your _mother_ will be the last thing you think about before you die," Topanga said archly.

"How do you know I wasn't referring to you? Mmmomma," he stretched the word out playfully, wriggling his brows at his wife suggestively.

Topanga just looked at him with a flat expression of chastisement, but her lips were curved up in an irrepressible smile.

"Ugh! Please stop," Auggie begged, putting his hands up in a halting gesture and looking away appalled.

"Yeah," Riley had to agree, "Talk about being scarred for life. I did not need to hear that."

"None of us needed to hear _that_ ," Ava put in with an exaggerated shudder as she turned to face the street again.

Any further reply was aborted when the music coming through the speakers cut off and a fanfare of trumpets began to sound.

 _Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..._

A male voice introduced the approaching parade, inviting everyone to join Mickey and his friends as they celebrated a festival of fantasy.

A new song started playing, one reminiscent of a grand show tune being sung by a chorus of voices, and the theme song for the parade. The first float came into view down the way, and they all leaned out to see as the parade made a wide turn in front of the castle to make its way down Main Street.

What followed was a brightly-colored stream of pageantry, presented by each successive float that rolled slowly past them.

They were each like their own mini musical production, themed to match the characters that rode atop them. The one bearing Beauty and her Beast had lots of gold to match her gown, and there were couples dressed for a ball on the ground before them. The parade song gave way to the theme music from the movie, and the ball-goers danced a choreographed minuet in front of the float as they all progressed up the street. The girls in their bell-shaped ball gowns seemed to float as their partners led them in a graceful promenade filled with twirls and intricately interwoven steps with one another.

As an intro to the parade, it was enchanting. And even though they'd already seen it a few days before, Riley still felt the same delight that she'd felt then.

Each float after that had its own accompaniment on the ground, the same as the first one, and each group was performing a choreographed dance in keeping with their theme. There were girls dressed as colorful sea creatures prancing to the reggae music accompanying Ariel and Sebastian, Highland couples in kilts doing a Scottish jig preceding Merida and her bear cub brothers, and the Lost Boys who were leading the way for Peter, Wendy, and Hook were particularly entertaining. Their dance had sort of a Newsies/West Side Story gang-type vibe to it, and when they weren't dancing, the boys dressed in tattered clothing were performing impressive acrobatic feats, hopping and leaping through the small hoops some of them were carrying, and doing different flip combinations down the street.

Lucas had moved Riley in front of him as they watched, so as not to block the view of either Cory or Topanga, standing slightly behind each of their shoulders. His arms were wrapped loosely around her waist, and when the Lost Boys were performing in front of them, jumping and flipping around, she twisted slightly to raise her face toward his and deliver a comment over the rollicking blare of the music.

"Bet **they** didn't have to go to gymnastics with a bunch of little kids to learn how to do that," she said ironically, alluding to the fact that she, herself had taken a beginners class in high school when she'd failed at cheerleading tryouts her first year there. She'd been the only one in the tumbling class who was over ten years old, and as a tall, lanky 15 year old, she'd towered over everyone there. It had sort of been humiliating but it had paid off. She'd made the squad at the start of her sophomore year, and she'd cheered for the following three years.

Lucas had bent his head accommodatingly so she could speak directly into his ear, and he put his lips at the side of her head as he answered her back the same way. "Yeah, but I bet none of them have ever done a full twist layout from the top of a pyramid either."

Pleased by the supportive statement that complimented her skills, and even more so by the fact that he remembered the technical name for the dismount she'd practiced for weeks, she lifted her face as if to reply. When he again stooped to listen, he was instead rewarded with a kiss on the cheek.

Lucas's lips curved up in a small grin, recognizing the soft gesture of appreciation for what it was.

As they refocused their attention on the activity in front of them, Lucas went back to enjoying the cavalcade of floats, characters, and dancers with Riley held loosely in his arms.

As parades went, he guessed this one was a pretty good production. The best part was the huge metal dragon that came somewhere near the end. The metal framework and moving gears had been put together steam punk style to form a towering dragon that actually breathed fire. It was from one of the princess movies, he was pretty sure, but he couldn't remember which one. The movies had kind of started melding together towards the end, they'd watched so many of them. And the ones that were about princesses hadn't always held his attention all the way through.

In any case, until that part came up, most of his enjoyment in the parade came from just watching the pleasure Riley took in it. She waved back at the costumed characters who were waving from the floats, every so often she leaned down to share some detail with Auggie and Ava sitting on the curb, and when the couples in kilts danced in front of them to a light Celtic tune, she clapped her hands rhythmically, along with the other spectators around them. At one point she took hold of his hands where they were linked at her waist and playfully started clapping them together instead of her own.

Her light-hearted enthusiasm was infectious, and he gamely clapped his hands under her direction and even started rocking his upper body a bit, in keeping with the beat of the music. Caged within his arms as she was, she was drawn along with him as he shifted side-to-side, and Riley's smile grew in approval as she merrily swayed with him to the trilling music.

When the kilted dancers had passed, followed by a float representing the movie 'Brave', Lucas's favorite part came next. The 26' dragon looked even cooler than he remembered, with scales made of purple and gold metal plates, spiky appendages protruding from its neck and down its back, and small wings that were slowly flapping up and down. People in dark feathered costumes with wings were fluttering around it, as well as some intimidating figures with stilts for legs, who were wrapped in thorny-looking vines.

A prince was walking before it, carrying a sword and shield, and just as he reached their spot on the street he turned to confront the dragon with his weapons drawn. He had to fight off the creatures accompanying it first, and the music swelled dramatically as if it were an epic battle while he waved and jabbed his sword at them. They circled around and eventually surrounded him, and he played at pushing them back. When he'd dispensed with them, he went on to attack the dragon.

Its metal jaws fell open beneath a pair of glowing green eyes and a small stream of fire issued from its mouth. The flames didn't come close to reaching anyone on the ground since the dragon was so tall, but the prince threw up his shield to protect himself as if the fire was threatening to engulf him.

It ended when he pretended to stab the dragon in the area where its heart would be if it had one. Everyone cheered when he raised his arms in triumph and he moved down the street, victorious.

A host of Disney characters followed the dragon. It seemed like everyone who hadn't been included on a float was bringing up the rear. Among others, there were characters from Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio. Chip and Dale, Goofy, and Pluto were interspersed among them, as well as Snow White and her prince, along with all the dwarfs. They were all meandering down the street on foot, sometimes dancing or skipping, and other times veering off to the sidelines to greet random people in the crowd.

Riley's eyes widened when Prince Charming, himself started walking her way, and, ridiculously, her heart started pounding.

"Milady," he greeted, tipping his head with the mock formality of his character, and Riley had to admit she was dazzled. She knew he wasn't a real prince, he wasn't even someone who'd actually been in a movie, he was impersonating an animated character for crying out loud. But that didn't seem to matter. He was handsome, he was acting like the well-known prince, and him coming to talk to _her_ out of everyone there... It was like a celebrity had picked her out of the crowd, and it was both heady and fluster-inducing.

He held his hand out to her, palm up, and, giggling nervously, she placed her fingers within his grasp. "Are you enjoying the show?"

"I am," she replied with a nod, her smile threatening to break her face. "It's been totally amazing. And this is my new favorite part."

The dark-haired prince chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it," he said in amusement, and Riley wasn't even sure what she'd said to make him laugh. "What's your name?"

"Riley?" she responded immediately, but it came out sounding almost like a question.

"Well, Princess Riley, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day in our kingdom." He gave a sweeping bow while still holding her hand, shifting his weight back on one foot with the other at a straight angle in front of him, then he released her fingers to go on his way. "Watch out for any witches bearing apples," he offered as a parting shot, and Riley giggled again.

Ava, looking up at her from the curb, said with both envy and awe, "That was so cool, Riley."

Riley smiled down at her as if coming out of a daze. The whole thing had seemed so surreal, and it was crazy how giddy it had left her feeling.

Her mom gave her upper arm an excited little shake, saying, "That was _great_ , honey! Look, I got pictures." Holding out her phone for Riley to see, she showed her the image on the screen of the attractive young man bowing over her hand, his red cape draped over his sweeping arm.

She and Topanga huddled over her phone for a few more seconds as they flipped back through all the shots she'd taken, her mom seeming almost as tickled over the encounter as she was.

"I'm so glad you thought to take pictures," Riley said with an animated little wriggle. "I can't wait to show Maya!" She grinned over her shoulder at her mom, but her gaze was snagged along the way.

"Yeah, hi. Lucas Friar. The boyfriend. Remember me?" he said dryly, lifting his hand from her shoulder to give her a wave. Even though he'd been standing there with his hands on her shoulders through the entire exchange, he had the distinct feeling that she'd forgotten he was even there.

But she laughed at his query, and directed a playful swat towards his middle as she replied, "Of course I remember you, silly. Wasn't that cool, him singling me out like that?"

"Yeah, cool," he said in agreement, but his level of enthusiasm wasn't nearly on a par with hers. He did think it was kind of cool that she'd been picked out of the hundreds of people on the sidelines to be given special treatment, but why couldn't it have been Dopey or one of those Tweedle guys who'd given her the attention? Why'd it have to be freakin' Prince Charming? He was sure it had been her bright sunny smile that had drawn the guy over to her. Hadn't he said earlier that that smile of hers could melt the hearts of mice and men? Apparently that went for fake princes in feathered hats too.

The last floats in the parade carried the most well-known of all the Disney characters. Donald and Daisy Duck waved to the crowd from atop one of them, while the very last one bore the hosts of the parade, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Once they were past and the theme song drew to a close, the last extended note ringing out through the speakers, the crowd began to disperse, people moving off in every direction.

Cory and Topanga gathered their small brood and aimed their steps in the direction of the castle after they determined the best route back to where they'd left off.

"I can't _believe_ Prince Charming came up and talked to you and held your hand," Ava raved as they walked.

"That _was_ pretty cool," even Auggie had to agree.

"And it was so cute how he stayed in character the whole time," Topanga put in. "He really did seem like he was royalty."

"This one was sure acting as if he was," Cory said teasingly, giving Riley's ponytail a gentle tug. "You were acting pretty star-struck, kiddo."

"I was not," Riley protested, her cheeks flushing with chagrin. "I was perfectly aware he wasn't a prince, it's not like I'm a little kid. I was just surprised over the whole thing, I wasn't _star-struck_."

"Oh, you were definitely star-struck," Lucas denied her claim. "'It's all so completely amazing, and this is my new favorite part'," he repeated her words in his best girlish imitation, and everybody laughed at his efforts.

"I did not say that. Did I?" Riley questioned, her cheeks heating further in embarrassment. She honestly wasn't sure what had come out of her mouth, she'd been just a little bit rattled.

"You **absolutely** said that," Lucas confirmed with a quirk of his lips. He thought her reaction had been funny and cute, but he also couldn't help but be a little bit jealous over it. The guy may have been wearing cuffed boots and a funny hat, but even Lucas could see he was good looking. That, and the fact that he'd ignored Lucas standing right behind her, with a clear claim on her in his hold on her shoulders, made him resent the royal wannabe. And the way Riley had reacted to him didn't help.

"Well, I'm thinking if there's princes involved now, you better step up your game, Mr. Perfect," Cory said jokingly to Lucas.

"Shyeah," Lucas huffed in amusement, "between Prince Charming and Mickey, the competition's getting pretty stiff. I may have to challenge someone to a duel or something before it's all over."

He had to explain his meaning behind the Mickey comment, and everyone made a few cracks about it before they all agreed he had some pretty tough competitors.

Riley endured the comments with good humor, but she shook her head at their final consensus. Taking hold of Lucas's hand and putting her other hand on his bicep, she said with assurance, "There is no competition. I've already got my prince." Smiling up at him, she bent her head towards him to add in a lowered aside, "I'm talking about you, in case that part wasn't clear."

"Yeah, I got that. Thank you," he replied with a little laugh.

The group continued to chat as they made their way to their destination. They had three attractions left to see in Fantasyland in order to complete the kids' goal, and after a brief discussion, they decided to arrange Fast Passes for Peter Pan's Flight.

While they waited for their boarding time for that ride to arrive, they moved on to the Hall of Presidents, where there was only a short wait for the show in progress to finish. The lobby of the Colonial-style theater it was shown in was a large open space, offering an air-conditioned waiting area, and they all took seats on the floor there to wait for the next show to begin.

To help pass the time, Cory started spouting off historical trivia questions, and they made a game out of seeing who could answer the most.

Surprisingly, Ava won. When everyone but Auggie expressed their surprise, she shrugged her shoulder negligibly, saying, "I'm not just a pretty face, you know." Where once the statement would have been full of arrogance, and said in complete seriousness, now it was delivered with sardonic humor, almost as if she were mocking herself.

Ava had mellowed quite a bit in the years since her parents had divorced and neither of them seemed to have time for her anymore. The experience had humbled her. And when her mother'd had to get a job and wasn't home that often, she'd started spending a lot more time at the Matthews' apartment. Their influence and affection, which was freely given, had softened a lot of her hard edges. And any time she displayed the traits that made her so hard to deal with, they only had to remember how she'd gotten that way, and it helped them to have more patience with her. For the most part though, they'd all come to love her. She was a funny and spirited little girl, who always seemed to know exactly what she wanted.

After watching the historical presentation delivered by a stage full of animatronic presidents, they went back to check in with their Passes.  
Crossing from Liberty Square back into Fantasyland was like passing from night to day. One was full of brick buildings with white wooden accents, and Early American architecture- the epitome of historical Americana- and the other looked like it had come alive from the pages of a storybook. With its turrets and banners, and bright colored flags waving in the breeze juxtaposed against golden-hued buildings with dark wood trim and flower boxes, it looked like a Renaissance fair had been crossed over with the Swiss Alps to create this magical land of fantasy.

The rides there were fairy-tale-like too, in keeping with the theme. On Peter Pan's Flight they boarded small two-seat vehicles with billowing sails that looked like ships, and the ride's track took them high in the air. Or so it seemed. Their 'flying' ships soared above small animatronic scenes on the ground that had been taken right out of the Peter Pan story. It was a fairly slow-moving ride, and some might consider it childish or cheesy, but it was one of Riley's favorite rides in Fantasyland. Anyone suspending their disbelief could imagine that their ship sprinkled with pixie dust was flying through the night sky along with Peter and Tink, first viewing London and the Darling family who lived there, then traveling to Neverland, where there were mermaids and fearsome pirates.

Topanga had set up their next passes on her phone, so when they left the Peter Pan attraction, they didn't have that long to wait to see the next one. It was a 3D movie, one they hadn't made time to see their first day there, so it was new to all of them.

They were made to wait outside the building at first, but after a short time they were allowed to go inside and take their seats in the theater to wait. Riley and Lucas sat in the middle of their small group. Ava sat on Lucas's other side- a place she and Auggie often tried to out-maneuver each other for (this time Ava had won)- with Auggie on her other side.

Riley was talking quietly with her mom, sitting beside her, when she first noticed the little girl in the row in front of them. She kept standing up in her seat, grandly tapping the beribboned wand she was holding on different spots on her chair- along the back, on the arm rest, disappearing from sight as she apparently tapped the seat, or somewhere low on the chair, then standing again to wave it in the air and start the process all over again.

The entire time she was playing and fidgeting, her eyes kept straying to Lucas, whose seat was directly behind hers. He didn't notice at first. He and Auggie were talking about something, and then Ava said something to make him laugh, which really drew the little girl's attention. She looked directly at him and didn't look away when he teased Ava back and chuckled. He caught her looking then and smiled at her. She didn't smile back, but kept watching him for a few more seconds, then ducked shyly behind the back of her seat.

"I think you have an admirer," Riley told him quietly, and he grinned crookedly in return.

The little girl didn't stay hidden long. In less than a minute she was back up, fiddling with her wand again, and looking at Lucas in interest. She was a pretty little girl, maybe three or four years old, and she was dressed in a little replica of the gown Belle wore in Beauty and the Beast. Her golden brown hair had been pulled back at the sides, but a large portion of it had escaped the clip in the back and was straggling around her face in damp curls, a testament to all the time she'd probably spent out in the heat that day.

Lucas smiled at her again, and apparently, this time she wasn't feeling as shy.

"Hi." She pushed the word past her lips as if it were an act of daring and she was waiting to see what would become of it.

"Hi." Lucas repaid her bravery with a sweet grin.

Seemingly satisfied now that she could talk to him and he would talk back, she ventured further. "What's your name?"

His face alight with amusement, he replied, "My name's Lucas. What's yours?"

"Sthayla," she lisped in answer.

"Shayla?" he repeated, to make sure he'd understood her. At her nod, he told her, "That's a pretty name."

The woman sitting beside her, presumably her mother, looked at her and prompted gently, "What do you say?"

"Thank you," the little girl replied immediately.

"You're welcome," he said warmly. "That's a pretty dress you've got on," he complimented.

She nodded, looking down at herself. "It's like Belle's."

"I know. She's my favorite Disney princess. I'm partial to brunettes," He said the last part as if it were a secret and Shayla seemed delighted he was sharing with her.

Dryly amused at his statement, Riley bumped his shoulder with her own and he grinned back at her.

Obviously noting the interaction, Shayla said curiously, "Is she your girlfriend?"

"She is," Lucas nodded.

Taking that as her cue, Riley joined the conversation, saying, "Hi, Shayla, I'm Riley."

Shayla returned her friendly smile, but she still directed her comment to Lucas, lowering her voice just a little as if Riley wouldn't be able to hear her then. "She's pretty."

Lowering his voice the same way and leaning towards her a bit, Lucas confided, "I think so too."

Flattered by the round of compliments, Riley lightly grasped Lucas's forearm in a silent gesture, at the same time saying, "Aw, thank you, Shayla. I think you're really pretty too."

She took the comment in stride, merely nodding matter-of-factly. "My mommy says I look like her."

"And now they're going to think I'm conceited and tell you that you're pretty like me, " her mother said with wry humor. It was obvious that the little girl didn't understand the irony and she instructed, "Why don't you just tell Riley thank you for the compliment."

"Thank you, Riley," she said dutifully.

Now it was Riley's turn to say fondly, "You're welcome."

"Now how about you turn around in your seat and stop bothering the nice kids," her mom suggested.

"She's fine," Riley assured her.

Given the okay, her mom didn't push it, and let Shayla stay where she was.

Satisfied that she wasn't being made to sit, the tiny Belle wannabe started waving her wand around again. But it was obvious from the gauging looks she kept flicking their way that she was really just putting her cool new toy on display and wanted them to acknowledge it.

Lucas didn't disappoint her. "So you got a magic wand today, huh? What are you planning to do with it? You aren't gonna turn me into a frog or anything are you?"

"No," she replied gigglingly, her tone saying she thought he was silly.

"Good. 'Cause they eat flies, you know. And I really don't think they'd taste very good."

Shayla just smiled, clearly unsure whether he was still playing with her or if that was a true fact. A speculative light had entered her eyes though. Now that he'd put the idea in her head, she couldn't resist it, and she started waving her wand in his direction with more purpose.

"Ickity-bobbi- _boo!_ " she said cutely, the last word coming out forcefully as she pointed the wand at his face.

Lucas gasped dramatically, and for a second Shayla's big brown eyes widened, as if she was afraid she really had performed some kind of magic on him.

And in the next moment...

"Ribbit," he deadpanned, and the little girl convulsed in laughter.

Her childish giggles were heart-warming, and Riley couldn't help but laugh too. As she watched Lucas continue to ribbit and stick his tongue out at her in imitation of a frog, Riley's laughter faded into an affectionate smile. She'd never seen Lucas like this, so sweetly adorable and playful. She guessed somewhere in her mind she'd known he was good with kids. He'd always been great with Auggie, and later, with Ava too, when he started seeing her more often at their house. But they'd both been a little older than Shayla. There was a gentleness to his teasing of the little girl that stole Riley's heart, and she felt like she was falling in love with him all over again. That this boy, who was so attractive and had so much going for him, and could have easily turned out to be arrogant or entitled because of that, was instead such a gentle, caring person- honestly one of the best people Riley had ever known- it just made him seem incredible. She was proud of him and touched by him at the same time, and she just felt so fortunate that he was part of her life.

Their playtime was brought to an end when the lights in the theater went down and Shayla's mom made her turn and sit for the movie that was about to begin.

Riley shifted in her seat to get closer to Lucas, and he smiled over his shoulder at her as she slipped her arm underneath his to twine them together and hug herself to his side. She kissed his smiling lips as the curtain over the screen began to go up, a heartfelt, lingering caress that he happily returned.

"What was that for?" he asked in a hushed tone, his eyebrows raised quizzically.

"Because you're amazing. And I love you," she told him warmly, hugging his arm.

Touched, pleased, and unsure what had brought it on, he dropped his own kiss on her lips and replied, "I love you too."

She dropped her head briefly to rest on his shoulder, but then the movie started, and they had to put on their 'opera glasses' as Minnie called them when her voice came over a speaker to get the production started.

The film was a cute compilation of musical numbers from different Disney movies, arrived at by way of Donald Duck, who had tried on Mickey's sorcerer hat. It had sent him away in a stormy whirlwind of magic, where he got caught up in the musical productions from 'The Little Mermaid', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'The Lion King', and a few others.

When it was over and they were leaving the theater, Shayla and her family ended up a little ahead of them. A man, who was most likely her father, was carrying her in his arms, and she caught sight of them over his shoulder.

"Bye, Lucath! Bye, Riley!" she called out to them, waving.

"Bye, Shayla," they both replied.

"Don't go turning anyone else into frogs with that wand," Lucas said teasingly.

"I won't," she giggled.

They melded with the crowd outside, and then they were gone.

"Looks like you two made a new friend," Topanga said with a soft smile. Like Riley, she'd observed the interaction between Lucas and the little girl, and it had left her feeling even more fond of the young man who was practically a part of their family. He couldn't have made it more clear that he was going to make a wonderful father some day."

"Yeah, she was a cutie," Riley said in reply.

Auggie claimed Topanga's attention then, asking her when they could stop and get something to drink, and Riley and Lucas fell behind the others as they moved on to their next destination.

Riley was still feeling a certain amount of tenderness towards him over the way he'd behaved with Shayla, and it was reflected in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Lucas caught the look, and once again, his expression turned quizzical. First the kiss in the theater and now this look. He wasn't sure what he'd done that seemed to have made her go all gooey, but whatever it was, he was all for it. As soon as the thought took shape in his head he had to pause for a moment of amusement at himself. That had definitely been a Riley kind of saying- _going all gooey_ \- and it had slipped into his thoughts so effortlessly.

"What's that look?" he finally asked, as they walked several feet behind her parents.

She shrugged a shoulder, her expression still soft. "You just- you were really good with her back there. It was sweet."

"Who? Shayla?" And at her nod, "She was a sweet kid," he said, as if that explained it.

It was just like him to deflect and maintain that the sweetness was all on Shayla's end, but she let the comment slide. "She sure seemed taken with **you** ," she said lightly instead.

He chuckled softly. "Yeah, well, I was taken with her too, I guess." He hesitated a beat before confessing, "She was sort of what I've imagined our little girl would be like if we ever had one."

Riley looked up at him again, this time in surprise. Actually, surprise was too mild a word. She was sort of blown away. "You think about that kind of stuff?"

"Well, yeah. Don't you?"

"Yeah," she admitted, "But I guess I thought that was because I was a girl and that's what we do. You know, imagine what our wedding will be like, and our future husband, how many kids we'll have...that kind of thing."

"And...am I there, when you imagine those things?" he probed lightly.

Riley bit her lip, but the corners turned up at the light of anticipation that was bright in his eyes as he waited for her answer watchfully.

"Yeah," she softly confessed. "You have been for awhile."

The brilliant smile that lit his face pretty much took her breath away, and it made her happy to know that her answer had made _him_ so happy.

"Well I imagine those kind of things too. With you. So, either it's not just girls that do it, or I'm a total girl," he said humorously.

Riley laughed and twined her fingers with his, covering the back of his hand so it was sandwiched between her palms. "The last thing I'd ever call you is girly, Lucas Friar, so let's just go with the other one."

Lucas laughingly agreed. "Sooo... in these imaginings of yours, how many kids do we have?" he fished.

With a small grin at his curiosity, she readily confessed, "Three. Two boys and a girl. What about you?"

"I've always thought two. But three would be good too," he said easily, the extra addition something he was more than willing to adapt to.

"I've just always sort of wished for a big brother myself," she explained. "I mean, I love Auggie to death, and I love being a big sister, but I've always thought it would be kind of nice to have an older brother too. You know, to talk to and look out for me or whatever. Josh is the closest thing I've ever had to that. He's sort of been like a big brother to me."

"Yeah. I can see that. You two are pretty close," he agreed.

"Yeah, but we were so far apart when we were growing up, I didn't get to see him all that often. It would've been nice to grow up together. So that's why I'd like our daughter to get to experience that- being a big sister, but having a big brother too."

Lucas didn't think she was even aware that she'd said 'our' daughter, so she had no idea how it affected him to hear her say it, but he **really** liked the sound of it.

He'd told her the truth, he really had imagined having a family with her some day, but hearing her describe the family dynamics she'd been dreaming of made the picture in his head even clearer.

He could see it so easily; a little boy with dark blonde hair and the Matthews' curls, a girl with golden brown hair similar to Shayla's and a bright sunny smile, and an older boy with dark hair and eyes like his mother's. He could imagine them all sitting around on the front porch under a starry Texas sky, Riley snuggled in his lap as they lazily drifted back and forth in the softly creaking porch swing and proudly watched their children playing together and laughing.

The longing he felt for that warm scene was so acute it made his chest ache a little. It wasn't like he wanted to rush right out and marry Riley so they could get started on that family right away, he wasn't ready for anything like that at all. But it _was_ a future he really wanted to have. Some day. And that longing he felt told him that Riley Matthews was the girl he wanted it with. That was why he could so often tell himself that going to college so far away from her was just a bump in the road. And with that future beckoning in the distance, he felt sure they could make it over the hurdle so their paths could merge together again.

He was broken from his thoughts when Riley asked softly, "Hey, where'd you go?"

He blinked, and the far-away look cleared from his eyes. His expression was a tiny bit sheepish, but on the whole, it was warm and loving as he answered. "On a porch in Texas, with my wife in my arms, and our three kids playing around us."

The picture he painted melted Riley's heart and her features softened further. "Yeah? That sounds really nice. Was I there?"

The green of his eyes glinted with tender sentiment as his lips curved up gently. "Yeah, you were definitely there."


	4. Chapter 4

**I've gotten really behind in answering all the reviews I've gotten lately and I'm so sorry about that. Please know that I appreciate each and every comment you guys have left me on this fic and the last couple of oneshots I've posted. It means so much to me that you've taken the time to leave a review and let me know what your thoughts were after reading, and I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. So much. You guys are the greatest.**

 **I think there will probably be one more part on this fic and it'll be finished. This chapter ended up really long, but I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

 **Part 4**

There was only one attraction left in Fantasyland that they hadn't ridden, and that was where they'd headed after they left the movie. Passing by gift shops on one side and a Bavarian style restaurant on the other- the calliope from the carousel serenading them with the Mickey Mouse song along the way- they stopped outside the colorful turreted structure that housed the popular boat ride.

"Ah, no," Lucas gave a mild groan of protest when saw what it was. "Do we _really_ have to go on this one again? I just got that song out of my head from the last time we rode it. And it's been an entire week!"

Riley laughed silently. "Maybe you and I could go do something else while they ride this," she suggested with a soothing stroke of his chest.

"No deal," Cory said stridently, nixing that plan. "If the rest of us have to suffer through it so do you," he declared. "We're a team."

"Well then, maybe none of the team should do it," Lucas proposed. "I'm telling you, that song is like voodoo or something. We should really protect the kids." He nodded his head, as if convinced he was right.

"Stop," Riley laughingly chided him with a swat.

At the same time, Ava proclaimed in argument, "I _**like**_ the song!" As if to prove it, she started to sing. "IIIt's a small world aaaf-ter all, iiit's a small world..."

"Aaand there we go," Topanga said dryly as the little girl kept singing the repetetive song.

"Just suck it up, dude," Auggie told Lucas. "My woman wants to see the dolls. And if my woman ain't happy..."

"Ain't nobody happy," the rest of them chimed ironically.

Amidst several chuckles, Ava cut off her song mid-note to smile at her young companion sweetly. Batting her eyes, she crooned, "You know me so well, Auggie-dog."

There was currently a forty minute wait for the ride, so they set up Fast Passes for it and went to take a break at the nearby restaurant in the meantime. It wasn't quite late enough for dinner, but everyone was a little hungry, so they all got drinks and single slices of pizza. There were tables arranged outside the restaurant, so they took their snacks out there.

The square tables with striped umbrellas overhead were fairly small, so the kids sat together at one, while Cory and Topanga sat at another right next to it. While they ate, Auggie and Ava regaled Riley and Lucas with stories of the things they'd done that day before the two of them came to join them.

They were directly across from the carousel, which was now chirping the song 'Prince Ali" from the movie 'Aladdin' in accompaniment to their meal. Before they were done, they were also serenaded with the calliope versions of 'Hi-ho', 'Some Day My Prince Will Come', and 'Gaston' from 'Beauty and the Beast'.

Swallowing the last bite of her pizza, Riley asked somewhat wistfully, "So you guys have already ridden the carousel, huh?"

Picking up on the wishfulness in her tone, Lucas asked teasingly, "Do you wanna ride the carousel, little girl?"

She really did, but she'd feel silly if she didn't have the excuse of accompanying the younger members of their group. But if Lucas would be willing to go on the kiddie ride with her, that would work too.

At his question, her face lit up in a smile of confirmation even as she confessed with a quick little nod. "Would you want to go on it with me?"

He would've allowed her to drag him on it, but before he could agree, Ava piped up.

"I'll go on it again with you, Riley."

"Great! Thanks, A," she said brightly in acceptance. "Aug, you wanna come too?" she asked, gathering up the trash left from her meal.

"No, thanks," he demurred.

As she started to pick up the few items of trash to take with her when she stood, Lucas put out a hand to stop her. "I'll get that. Both of you go ahead," he prompted.

With a brilliant smile, she bent to drop a kiss on his lips, saying, "Thank you. I love you."

"Love you too," he replied with an indulgent smile, but she and Ava were already scampering off, Riley calling out their plans to her parents as they went.

The line waiting to get on the ride wasn't super long. They only had to wait through two turns on the merry-go-round before it was their turn. While they stood in line, the two girls chatted and Riley french-braided Ava's hair. She perched the other girl's Minnie Mouse ears on her own head while she intricately wove the blonde tresses, but sadly, Ava made her give them back when they were done.

Once aboard the ride, Riley chose one of the white horses on the second row with purple on its saddle and a garland of yellow roses around its neck. Ava took the one next to it, on the outside row, with a royal blue saddle blanket trimmed in gold.

The high-pitched organ started trilling out as the merry-go-round came to life, and the version of the song 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' it piped out was both cheerful and dreamy.

Riley allowed the child in her to come out as their horses lazily lifted and lowered while they circled. Leaning back as she held onto the pole that tethered her horse, she let her head drop back to watch the canvas above them until she was dizzy, then later, she and Ava pretended that their horses were racing, and they looked for her family each time they came around so they could wave at them madly like little kids.

Cory and Topanga waved back indulgently, but Lucas and Auggie weren't at the table the first few times they looked for them. Riley assumed they'd gone to the restroom or something. They were back by the time the horses made their final revolutions though, and they laughed and shook their heads at them for waving, but they gamely waved back.

They'd sat down with her parents when they came back, so she and Ava headed for their table when they got off the ride. Lucas was sitting on the side closest to them and was sprawled low in the chair he'd turned perpendicular to the table. He was talking to Cory, sitting across from him, but turned his head to watch them approach even as his lips were still moving in conversation.

Apparently concluding what he was saying, he smiled as Riley walked up to stand by his chair. "Have fun?"

"Yeah," she replied, her smile so big it forced her eyes into little half moons.

"Where'd you two go?" Ava asked Auggie, who, like Riley, had gone to stand next to his seat. "You disappeared for awhile."

"I went to a couple of gift shops with Lucas," he answered.

"Yeah, I got you something," he told Riley enticingly, reaching down to pick up a bag on the ground by his chair.

"You did? What'd you get me, what'd you get me?" she asked excitedly, giving a little bounce like a kid at Christmas. She looked at her parents as if they would provide an answer, but they both just shrugged expansively like they had no clue. They weren't very good actors though. It was obvious from their secretive smiles that they did.

Setting the bag on his lap, Lucas reached in and pulled out what he'd gotten her. It was Minnie ears. _Princess_ Minnie ears.

"Yaaaay," she wriggled all over in delight and gave a muffled clap.

"They aren't exactly like Ava's," he said a bit apologetically.

"They're perfect," she assured him. She actually liked them better than Ava's. The tiara on this pair sat on top of the cap between the two ears, and the cap was a light blush color instead of the darker pink of Ava's. And best of all, the scarves hanging from the back were in hues of purple, along with the pink.

Lucas stood and put them on her himself. As he settled them atop her head, he said with mock ceremony, "Your crown, Princess Riley."

"Thank you, my prince," she giggled. "Seriously, thank you, Lucas. I love them," she said sincerely, throwing her arms around him to give him a hug.

"You're welcome," he warmly chuckled as he returned her embrace, glad that he'd made her happy.

 _Take THAT Prince Charming!_

"Okay, kids, we need to get going," Topanga urged, rising from the table. "We need to get to It's A Small World in the next five minutes."

Ava cheered and immediately started marching towards the ride singing the song again.

"Yay," Lucas sighed, in weak imitation of the expression Riley used so often. Except his was the exact opposite in tone from the way she always said it.

Pulling back from their hug, Riley gave him a sympathetic smile. "It won't be that bad," she cajoled. Spying the unused napkins left on their table, she grabbed them up before her mom could throw them away. "You can tear off parts of this and use it for earplugs," she suggested, only half-way joking.

Lucas ended up doing exactly that, and was much happier for it. Cory and Auggie mocked him when he first tore off little pieces and crushed them into wads to stuff into his ears, but before it was over, they were eating crow and asking him if they could use part of the napkins for themselves. He could've given them a hard time about it, but he was nice and shared.

He might have been a little bit smug about it though.

After the boat ride featuring singing dolls in representations of different countries, they moved on to Liberty Square and the Haunted Mansion, where they endured a 30 minute wait in line before boarding the cars that took them through the elaborate haunted house.

They opted to skip the Liberty Square Riverboat, due to time, and went to Frontierland next.

Entering that land was like crossing over into the Old West and a pioneer fort, both at once. Some of the buildings were made of logs, while others looked like they'd come from an old Western movie set. There was a saloon (which was actually a restaurant themed after an old dance hall, complete with can-can dancers), and gift shops in the guise of a Mercantile store and a trading post. And to add to the look of authenticity, there were hitching posts in front of some of the buildings, and food vending stands shaped like covered wagons. The music from banjos, fiddles, and harmonica being piped through the speakers furthered the impression of an old Western.

"So, did you want to go to Tom Sawyer Island, or skip it today since we're running low on time?" Cory put the question to their two youngest members, since it was their quest to 'do everything'. "We've got..." he glanced at his watch, "a little less than four hours left to finish everything up."

Auggie and Ava looked at each other in silent consultation. "Skip it," they said together, each of them punctuating the decision with a single nod.

"We already saw it Monday, and there wasn't that much to do there anyway," Auggie added.

"I should get our next passes set up then." Topanga expelled a little sigh of exhaustion as she pulled out her phone. Riley saw it more than heard it over the sound of the crowd around them. She also noted that her mom's steps were flagging just a bit. "I guess the two biggest ones over here are Big Thunder and Splash Mountain. Which one do you want to do first?" she asked the kids.

After a quick conferral with each other, they called out their answer. "Splash Mountain!"

Topanga nodded and started tapping the screen of her phone.

"If you want to sit this one out, Lucas and I can take them on that one," Riley offered, knowing her parents were tired. She looked at Lucas to make sure that was alright, and he readily agreed.

"Yeah, we don't mind," he said in assurance. "We can take them while you guys rest for awhile. And we could take them on Big Thunder too. They were right there together, weren't they?" he questioned, not sure his memory was correct.

Riley answered his query with a nod. "Yeah, they are actually. Lucas is right, we can just take them on both if you want."

"Really? That would be great, if you don't mind." Topanga was clearly relieved by the suggestion, and immediately headed for a bench.

Cory questioned their surety in only the vaguest of ways as he eagerly followed his wife to sit down. "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't we be," Riley answered, waving it away.

"You're not wimping out on us, are you, Topi?" Ava asked with a slight edge of suspicion.

"I'm not wimping. I'm just resting," she replied dryly after she and Cory collapsed on the bench.

"Phil?"

"No wimps here. Just us resters," Cory cheerfully insisted.

Ava regarded them skeptically with a flat look of amusement.

"We just need a short break then we'll be ready to go again," Topanga assured them.

"Yeah," Cory agreed, his head tipping to rest on his wife's shoulder and his eyes closing as if he was planning to go to sleep right there. "Just five...ten...thirty minutes, and we'll be as good as new," he mumbled.

Topanga's head tilted to rest against Cory's, and Riley smiled as she shook her head at them. "So we'll meet you back here? Take up where we left off?"

"If we move anywhere else we'll text you," her mom promised.

"Okay... We're gonna leave our stuff here with you, alright?" Topanga waved in acknowledgement without otherwise moving, and Riley and Lucas put their souvenirs on the bench beside them.

"See you later, guys," Auggie told them with a little wave as they went to move past the bench.

"See ya, Bubba. Have fun," Cory opened his eyes long enough to reply.

"Keep an eye out for each other," Topanga lifted her head to caution them, then dropped it back in place.

As the four of them left them to it, Lucas asked humorously, "Think they're gonna take a nap right there on that bench?"

Riley grinned at him, but it was Auggie who answered, "Sure looks like it." Shaking his head, he lamented in all seriousness, "It's sad to get old."

Ava nodded her head in agreement with him, and Riley and Lucas looked at each other to share a silent laugh.

They maneuvered their way through the crowd, passing clapboard buildings with signs naming them as a seed and hardware store, a stage line, and a town hall. Riley was using her phone as they walked, Auggie and Ava walking in front of her and Lucas, and when they approached a wide bridge that led off to the right, the two youngsters shot off towards it.

Jerking her gaze from her phone, Riley called, "Come on, guys, stay close!" She and Lucas picked up their pace to hurry after them and caught up to them on the bridge.

Coming up behind their wayward charges, where they stood watching over the wooden pickets of the railing, Lucas admonished them lightly. "Hey, don't go running off like that, okay?"

"Yeah, if we lost you, Mom and Dad would kill us," Riley added.

"We weren't going far," Auggie grumbled back. "You act like we're babies or something."

Riley replied diplomatically, "We didn't say you were babies. We're just responsible for you right now."

"We don't want anything to happen to you on our watch," Lucas put in, nudging the little boy's shoulder.

Slightly appeased, Auggie let it go, and went back to watching the activity below the bridge with his girlfriend. The tall red cliffs of Splash Mountain were just across the way, and the waterway the boats traveled after making the steep plunge down the mountain looped around and passed underneath their feet. The log-shaped boats filled with wet, exhilarated riders came around a bend one after the other to disappear under the bridge before coming out the other side to return to the entry and exit point behind the cliffs.

On the other side of the bridge, the chute that sent each boat plunging down the 50 foot drop could be seen several hundred yards away. The collective screams of the riders drifted on the air with each boat that flew down, and they crashed at the bottom with a huge splash.

Riley finished up what she'd been doing on her phone when the kids had interrupted. "Okay, I've got our passes set up for this one. What do you want to do while we wait?"

They exchanged looks among themselves to see if anyone had any suggestions, then looked over to the main strip of buildings for inspiration.

Loud popping sounds could be heard above the drone of conversation from the people around them and Lucas lit up in recognition of the sound. "I don't suppose you girls would be up for a little shooting, would you? Aug-man? You're with me, right?"

Realizing what he'd heard to prompt the suggestion, Riley grinned at the same time that her brother nodded eagerly. "You sure you want to take me on again, cowboy?" she teased.

Lucas gave her a flat look, though his eyes were dancing, and he gestured towards her with his thumb as he said to the two kids, "She beats me by 400 points at Toy Story Mania, and now she's all cocky about it."

Ava lifted her brows, and with a lopsided smirk, she said in a light taunt, "Sounds to me like she's got reason to be. I thought cowboys were supposed to be so great at shooting."

"Oh-ho," Lucas responded with amused incredulity. "So that's how you wanna be? Alright." He nodded. "How about a little shooting competition then? Girls against the guys."

"Yeah!" Auggie was all for it, and gave Lucas a high-five.

"Okay, you're on," Riley agreed. "Let's go, Ava."

She reached out a hand for the younger girl, and Ava linked hers with it, exclaiming, "Girl Power!"

"Yeah," Riley echoed her brother with a sharp nod of agreement as they set off, the boys following right behind them.

Their destination was a wide log building that was completely open at the front, with a long sign sitting atop the shingled front porch that proclaimed it the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade. The popping sounds of the shooting rifles grew louder as they approached it.

After changing a few bills into quarters, they each took up a gun at the stone barrier that separated them from the targets. The shooting gallery was fairly dark inside, and contained a large desert scene that stretched from one side of the building to the other. There were rows of small buildings at the back, modeled after an old western town, and in front of them sat a desert landscape dotted with cacti, a large, barren tree filled with vultures, animal bones, and a cemetery with a plethora of headstones that had clever epitaphs engraved on them. There were small red sensors on everything in there, and those were the targets they were aiming for.

The four of them dropped their quarters into their respective slots at the same time and immediately started shooting. The sound effects of gunfire, ricocheting bullets, and the occasional clank of a bullet hitting metal created a small cacophony of sound that filled the open arcade.

It didn't take Riley long to figure out that she and Ava were in trouble. She hadn't joined them at this game their first day there, she and her mom had gone to a nearby gift shop instead, so she hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to hit the little red sensors. They were barely as big as the reflector on the back of a bicycle, a much smaller target than the ones on the Toy Story ride, and the nearest ones were at least six feet away from where they stood.

On top of that, the rifles they were shooting with seemed pretty much like the real thing, as far as Riley could tell with her limited knowledge of guns. They had to line up their target through the sight thingie on the top, and the gun itself was actually pretty heavy. Heavy enough that Ava had ended up just resting hers on top of the stone ledge in front of them, and Auggie seemed to be having a little trouble with his as well. But he was still doing better than Riley was.

When the targets were hit, the red light went dark for a few seconds, and some kind of animation was triggered. Lights flickered inside the buildings, the headstones emitted ghostly moans and cackles, the buzzards flapped their wings, and the prairie dogs retreated into their holes. Lucas, standing next to her, was hitting most of his with one or two shots- three at the most- before moving on to the next one.

And Auggie, on his other side, was only taking a couple more shots than that to make each of his targets react.

Riley was taking as many as six or seven shots at the same target before getting it, and sometimes she just had to give up and move on to another one. Even Ava was doing better than she was, and she was hunched over her gun on the stone ledge.

After only a short while, Riley became frustrated with the entire endeavor. Lowering her gun, she huffed out a sigh of discouragement.

Lucas noticed her frustration, and took his attention off his target to ask her kindly, "Having some trouble?"

"This isn't nearly as much fun as Toy Story," she pouted.

Grinning at the cute expression of disgruntlement on her face, he went back to shooting, saying at the same time, "Well, when Auggie and I win, I promise _we_ won't do a victory dance and rub it in." He sent her a meaningful look.

"Speak for yourself," Auggie piped up, promising no such thing.

With a grimace of chagrin, Riley brought her rifle back up and tried to shoot a flowering cactus that wasn't too far away. At least, she hadn't thought it was that far away. But after trying six times, she still hadn't managed to hit the thing.

"I think my gun is broken." She nodded as if that must be it.

Smiling, Lucas shook his head at her. "I've seen you hit several targets. Your gun is not broken, Riles."

She pulled the trigger twice more and still couldn't make the stupid cactus react. "Well, _something's_ wrong with it," she muttered. "There has to be."

"Alright, let me see it," Lucas indulged her, putting his own gun down and moving over to her.

"Dude, what are you doing? She's the competition," Auggie paused in his shooting to mildly protest.

"I know, but we have an unfair advantage. We were here nearly thirty minutes the other day and this is her first time. And some of the guns did seem like their sights were a little off." Taking her gun from her hands when she offered it up to him, he brought it up to his shoulder and shot it several times. The fourth shot hit the tin can he was aiming for and sent it spinning. "Yeah, see, it's off about a quarter of an inch."

"You mean I was right?" Riley said with some surprise. She'd honestly thought it was just her.

"Nooo," he contradicted lightly, "Because it's not broken, it's just not completely accurate. Here," he handed the rifle back to her. "Put it back up at your shoulder." She brought it up into position. "No, up here. See?" He adjusted where she'd rested the butt. "Like this." Trying to rearrange her so her hold didn't seem so awkward, he finally just moved behind her and brought his hands up to place hers where they should be, leaving his own on top of them, so that they were both holding the gun in position. "There. Is that comfortable?"

Leaning back into him, she made a tiny snuggling motion, and uttered a sigh of contentment at the feeling of being completely surrounded by him. "Mmhmm."

"I meantthe gun," he said in smiling admonishment, bumping her hipbone lightly with his.

"Oh. Yeah, that too," she replied impishly.

He gave a huff of laughter that tickled her neck. "Good. Then, let's aim at— the tree, beneath the owl."

They swiveled slightly to the left to point the gun at the large barren tree. In the middle of its trunk, there was a hollowed out space, and an owl was standing inside it. Its sensor was on the tree below the hollow.

"Okay now, line up the target in your sight..." They tilted their heads to look down the length of the gun barrel, Lucas's above, and slightly behind, hers. He pushed aside the gauzy veil on the back of her Minnie ears and did his best to look through the gun sight with her. "'kay, you got it centered?" he murmured.

"Uh-huh," she breathed in answer. He went on talking, saying something about how she couldn't trust the sight and needed to aim a little to the right of it, but she honestly wasn't hearing much beyond the soft cadence of his voice as he instructed her. His warm breath playing across her ear was wreaking havoc on her concentration, and between that, the lowered raspiness of his tone, and the heat of him surrounding her, she was thinking about things other than shooting a gun.

Lucas tried to explain to her about the faulty gun sights and how to compensate for it, but his mind wasn't exactly on what they were doing either. With the distraction of her lithe curves pressed tightly against him, the softness of her hair against his cheek, and the sweet, heady scent of her skin emanating from the curve of her neck, enticing his senses, was it any wonder his mind was straying to inappropriate places?

It was hardly the time or place for that though, so he forced himself not to breathe her in as deeply as he wanted to, and did his best to help her get her gun lined up.

But when it came time for her to shoot, she just continued to stand there, motionless in his arms.

"Riley?"

His questioning tone drew Riley from her meandering thoughts, but she was still partially focused on the barely-there stubble of his jaw lightly scratching at her cheek.

"Hmmm?" she hummed in response.

"You gonna pull the trigger?" The low query was laced with amusement, but the possibility that she was lost in the same kind of haze he was, due to their closeness, had a heady effect on him, and he tightened his arms around her reflexively.

His last question snapped Riley's senses back to the present, and without a second's thought, she pulled the trigger. She didn't take a moment to refocus and see where she'd aimed her gun, she didn't make the adjustment to the sight-line he'd been telling her about, when he asked, she just pulled the trigger in a knee-jerk reaction.

Of course she didn't hit her target.

"Were you even listening to anything I said?" He shook his head slightly with a smile.

"I was listening," she said in defense.

"You were? 'Cause I sort of get the feeling I don't have your full attention here, tiger," he delivered the charge right into her ear, while at the same time his hand left the bottom of the rifle to slide across her stomach and snug her in more tightly against him.

"Believe me, cowboy, you have 100% of my attention," she assured him, her head turning towards her shoulder to aid in the quest of his lips.

"Yeah?" he murmured sexily, nuzzling the hair at her ear, lips dragging towards her temple.

They were speaking to each other in undertones, and had pretty much become lost in their own little world, but they were jerked from it abruptly when Ava asked sardonically, "Are you still showing her how to shoot, or are you two gonna make out right here?"

"Ava!" Riley sputtered, half in protest and half-scolding. She'd jerked upright and dropped the butt of the rifle as she said it, and Lucas let go of her entirely as they both looked at the little girl, slack-jawed and flustered.

"What? I'm just sayin'. He showed me how to shoot these things the other day too, but it didn't look anything like that. _That_ looked closer to making out to me," she levied the charge knowingly.

"Yeah, dude. I know we're buds and all, but there are limits. She is my sister, you know. Keep it PG," Auggie added in admonishment.

"Yes- sir." Lucas's reply was tongue-tied and meek, his cheeks ruddy with chagrin. Somehow it felt like the universe had tilted so that Auggie and Ava had become the adults, and he and Riley were the wayward kids who'd just gotten caught with their pants down. An unfortunate turn of phrase that made his thoughts even more uncomfortable.

Riley's cheeks were pink with embarrassment at being called out by the two ten-year-olds (and by the fact that she and Lucas had maybe gotten a little carried away), but she kind of wanted to laugh too. The incongruity of her tall, broad-shouldered boyfriend bowing deferentially to her little brother- a kid nearly half his age- was pretty amusing. If you could overlook what had led them there.

When Lucas caught the look on her face, he saw the humor in the situation himself, and his own expression changed to one of wry sheepishness.

"So, uh- you think you've got this?" He gestured awkwardly towards the rifle in her hands, then scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Riley cleared her throat and glanced aside self-consciously. "Thanks- thank you, Lucas. I think I've got it from here."

He nodded and went back to his own gun, hefting it into position somewhat stiffly.

Before Riley did the same, she sent another self-conscious look in Ava's direction, and she found the younger girl looking up at her unabashedly. Tongue behind her teeth in a gleeful smile of mischief, her eyes were twinkling merrily. Keen interest, and maybe a slight taunt about what she and Lucas had been doing shone in the sparkling blue depths. Riley could practically hear her silently chanting 'Riley and Lucas sittin' in a tree...'

Lips twisting with disgruntled exasperation, she pushed Ava's Minnie ears down over her eyes. "Shoot your gun," she told her in playful rebuke.

Giggling, the little blond pushed her ears back in place and obeyed.

Shaking her head in amusement, Riley lifted her rifle into place and tried to put Lucas's half-heard instructions to use.

It definitely helped improve her success rate. She was able to hit most of the targets within four shots after making the adjustment to her aim. The boys still won, of course, since she'd done so lousy in the beginning. She and Ava got them to agree to go best two out of three, but they ended up winning the next round too. And they actually didn't have time for a third game because they had to get back to Splash Mountain for their ride. So she and Ava had to endure their crowing and bragging- and yes, Auggie even did a victory dance (but Lucas kept his promise and refrained)- all the way back to the ride.

Once there, their passes again allowed them to bypass the regular line. So they wound around the queue, first outside under some trees, then inside a two-story clapboard building, and finally into a wide tunnel that led through a stone cave-like structure.

At the head of the line, they exited the tunnel into a wide space that was open to the sky. In it, was a kind of loading dock with a narrow stream running along beside it. On the other side of the water there was a similar platform where riders exited the log-shaped boats to make them available for the new riders.

"How many in your party?" The ride attendant was dressed in long shorts and a light checkered button-down shirt, but he still looked hot and tired. The friendly expression was firmly affixed to his young face though.

"Four," Lucas said in reply.

"Rows 1 and 2." He waved them towards the front of the loading area where metal railings divided the space into side-by-side rows.

On their way to the spots they'd been directed to, Ava proclaimed, "I'm not sitting with Auggie."

"What? Why?" he questioned indignantly.

"Are you kidding me?" She gaped at him as if she couldn't believe he even had to ask, but he just looked at her in incomprehension. " _We- beat- you, we be-be-beat you,"_ she did a sarcastic imitation of the victory song and dance he'd been doing, complete with the punctuating finger pointing from each hand."You think I want to sit with you? I don't even want to look at you right now," she declared in irritation.

Auggie felt a bit guilty then, for the way he'd carried on, but her sarcasm put him on the defensive and her final declaration outright irked him. "Well, I guess you'll be sitting in the front then," he returned sorely.

"I guess I will!"

"Fine!"

She stomped to the first row and folded her arms crossly, and Auggie flung himself as far away from her as he could in the space marked Row 2.

Riley hesitated over which one of them to join. On the one hand, Ava did have a point; Auggie had been pretty insufferable over winning their shooting match. But on the other hand, she really didn't want to sit in the front of the boat. Really high drops weren't her favorite thing in the world, and being in the front would only make it that much more intense. And if she _was_ going to be in the front, she'd feel safer if she had Lucas beside her to cling to.

"I can sit in the front," he offered now, understanding her dilemma.

"You don't want to sit with me, Riley?" Ava questioned. "He was bragging a lot too," she reminded her, directing a light scowl over at Lucas. "Aren't you mad at him?"

"Well..." Riley looked at her boyfriend rather sheepishly. "I sort of did the same thing to him earlier. I guess I had it coming." And apparently, this was to be further payback for her unbecoming behavior, forced to take a front row seat for their watery plunge of doom.

"I'll never do it again," she promised him in a quavering voice while shaking her head, her face twisted in comical sorrowfulness.

"It's okay. C'mere." Laughter threaded through his words as he drew her to him with one arm, sympathetic amusement coloring his features. "I'd say we're pretty even. You don't have to do this to punish yourself, you know. I really don't mind sitting in the front," he assured her softly.

Hands on his lower chest between them, Riley took a deep breath and refused with a shake of her head. She knew the other girl wasn't entirely happy with Lucas either, so it didn't seem fair to make her sit with him.

"I'll sit with Ava. It'll be fine." She looked over at the young blond from the shelter of Lucas's arm. "Girl Power, right?"

"Right!" she chirped in agreement.

Their log-shaped boat pulled up along the edge of the platform. It was long, accommodating four rows of seats with ample leg room in between. There was a small step down from the dock to the bottom of the boat. Auggie nimbly hopped down without any problems, but Lucas held onto the back of his shirt for safety's sake. Riley held Ava by the elbow as she climbed down, and when it was her turn, Lucas, who was already in the boat, reached across the seat that separated them to offer her a helping hand. She placed her hand in his, and he steadied her as she stepped down into the boat with them.

When everyone was aboard and seated, the safety bars locked into place over their laps, and the conveyor underneath the boat moved them forward to the entrance of a tunnel. The boat dipped and bobbed as the conveyor deposited them into what appeared to be a free-flowing stream.

The walls and ceiling of the narrow tunnel were made of red rock, and it wasn't very long. Before they'd reached its end, their boat started climbing up the first incline. It wasn't a tall hill, maybe ten feet at the most, and they crested the top and broke free from the tunnel at the same time.

It was something of a fake-out though, because on the other side there was only a gentle slide into another curving stream. The majority of the ride was simply a boat tour through different animiatronic scenes depicting the story of Brer Rabbit. None of the four of them were familiar with that story, but Cory and Topanga had given them the gist of it when some of them had expressed confusion after they'd ridden this the last time.

Apparently, Brer Rabbit was a happy-go-lucky sort of fellow, who had a streak of mischief in him. Brer Fox and Brer Bear were always trying to catch him, much the same way Wile E. Coyote was always after the Road Runner. But, just like the Road Runner, Brer Rabbit always managed to outsmart them.

The story apparently takes place in a hillbilly-type setting, because the scenes they passed through had that sort of vibe, and there was a cheerful banjo tune playing throughout. There were some things outside in the open air...a cartoonishly oversized vegetable patch, a clothesline with home-spun laundry hanging from it, a dilapidated tree house with a rope ladder... but most of the scenes took place inside a large cave.

A quick, unexpected drop sent them inside the mouth of the dark cave, where their watery trail took them on a winding course through the middle of it. There were animatronics on both banks. And each time they rounded a bend, there were new scenes to see.

The life-size dioramas were brightly lit, with a backdrop of cheery blue skies, and artificial trees along the banks, whose branches stretched out over the water to form a leafy canopy for their boat to pass under.

Further along, the skies on the backdrops became stormy and dark, and the banjo music changed to something more sinister sounding, with howling in the background, as the scenes became a little less cheerful.

The next scene had Brer Fox giving Brer Bear a boost so he could steal honey from a beehive, bees buzzing noisily around their heads. Then, moving past that, they traveled into complete and utter darkness.

Riley and the others knew what was coming, and she had a sudden thought for her princess ears. She quickly snatched them off her head, not wanting them to get blown away in the next moments. But even if she put them in her lap, she worried about them being at the front of the boat.

Twisting around in her seat, she held them out in Lucas's direction. She could barely see his outline in the dimness, but he was sitting directly behind her. "Can you hold these for me? I'm afraid they'll get wet up here."

"Yeah, of course," he replied, taking them from her to keep them safe.

Her actions made Ava realize she had the same problem. Jerking her own mouse ears off, she hesitated a moment before turning around and thrusting them at Auggie. But rather than asking him to hold them like Riley had, she said instead, "I can't _believe_ you made me sit up front. I'm gonna get so **wet**!"

He could've argued that he hadn't _forced_ her to sit there, but he didn't. He accepted both the ears and the blame she threw at him, saying, "I know. I was a total jerk. I'm sorry, baby. I'll make it up to you."

"You better," she replied, but she'd softened her stance considerably at his sincere apology.

That taken care of, Riley wrapped her hands around the safety bar only seconds before they found themselves whooshing downwards through the darkness in a sizeable plunge. Several people screamed, and Riley, herself emitted a squeak as she clutched the bar tightly.

Water flew up from the front of the boat when they hit the bottom, the nose slicing through the dark surface and creating a large splash that sent splatters onto Riley's and Ava's faces and shirts.

"Yeeeah!" Auggie crowed out in exhilaration.

Wiping the moisture off her cheek with her hand, Riley smilingly turned her head in time to see Lucas reaching over to ruffle her brother's hair as he laughed with him in appreciation.

Ava caught her eye as she was turning back. The other girl was shaking her head. "Boys," she muttered scoffingly. But the upturned corner of her lips showed her amusement, and Riley smirked back.

There wasn't a lot of light from there on out, and the animatronics became sparser. There was a small rush as they went down a short gradual decline, then they continued on their twisting path.

Suddenly, they came upon a cluster of wooden signs with hand-painted warnings on them. 'Danger!' they seemed to shout. 'Go Back!'

Across the water, Brer Rabbit had been caught, his arms trapped at his sides by the empty beehive wrapped around his torso. Brer Fox was dangling him by the ears, threatening to do him in.

This was where the ride took something of a dark turn. The overhead music was replaced by a feminine chorus, who was wailing out single notes of song and sounding like nothing so much as a portent of doom and death.

The rock walls of the cave seemed to close in on their boat, and the only bit of light was a muted blue that highlighted a trio of buzzards dressed in funeral attire, perched on a beam over their heads.

"You need to turn back!" one of them squawked.

"If only you could," another of them drawled in a taunt, and they cackled together evilly.

Once they'd passed them by, they came to Riley's least favorite part of the ride. The mountain of an incline they'd be going over rose up in front of them. It was enclosed in a long, dark tunnel of rock, with the opening at the other end shining as the single point of brightness where it let in the sunlight from outside. It gave off the effect that they were moving towards the metaphysical 'light'.

That outside opening seemed really far away. And **really** high.

They moved forward to the bottom of the incline, then their boat slowly began its climb.

Everyone had fallen silent in anxious anticipation, so the only sounds to be heard were those of rushing water and the methodical clicking of the pulley system as it moved them ever upward. That laborious, continuous sound of _tt-tt-tt-tt_ only served to draw Riley's nerves tighter.

There was nothing to see now except the enclosing walls of rock, so her eyes were helplessly drawn to that faraway point of light. They were moving towards it so slowly, and the longer it took to get to the top, the further away it seemed. She wanted to just hurry up and get there, but that would only mean tipping over its edge and being dropped down the other side, and she really wasn't in that much of a hurry for that.

Ahead of them, nearly 20 feet away, the boat in front of them did just that. It dropped out of sight over the top in a receding chorus of screams that made Riley's stomach clench.

Just as it had when they'd ridden it before, the fleeting thought that this could be the one time in a million when things might not go as planned flitted through her head. It was possible, wasn't it, that everything might not happen the way it should? That some tiny mechanical something, or the calculations of balance and weight of their boat might be off in some small way that would throw it slightly off course, and it wouldn't react the same as all the boats before it and end up safely on the other side?

She knew the chances of something like that happening were so minuscule as to be nonexistent, but the seemingly unending climb gave her far too much time for those kinds of thoughts to play with her head, and her heart pounded rapidly as her anxiety grew. She wished again that Lucas was sitting next to her. She'd be clutching his arm and burying her face in his shoulder right about now if he was.

"Lucas?" She couldn't help but call out to him, needing to at least hear the comfort of his voice.

"Right here, Riles," he answered her reassuringly. "You gonna make it?" he added, his tone gently teasing.

He had no way of knowing that was the exact wrong thing to say. But she made it obvious when she replied in a high nervous tone, "Of course I'm gonna make it. Why would you say that? We're all gonna make it. It's not like we're all about to go plunging to our deaths when we get to the top of this thing. It's just a small drop. Well, no, it's not a small drop it's a really **big** drop but hundreds of other boats have done it and they all made it why wouldn't we-" she took in a much-needed breath as they continued to be pulled inexorably upward in the dark enclosure. "We're gonna make it, right?" The uncertain smile and desperate need for reassurance were clear in her voice.

" _Yes_." Lucas wanted to laugh at the non-stop spew of her words, but he felt remorseful for getting her more wound up too. "It was just an expression, babe. I shouldn't have said it. Just calm down, okay?"

"I **am** calm why would you think I'm not calm?"

"Maybe because you're talking about a hundred words a minute?" her brother wryly suggested.

The bright light at the end was getting closer, but the slow, steady pace was _torture_.

"That's because I'm trying to say what I need to say before we go plunging to our deaths and none of us makes it," she warbled out in a slight wail, her face screwed up in a crying expression.

"That's not gonna happen. Don't be scared."

"Come on, Ry, this is _fun_!" Ava and Auggie both took turns at reassuring her, and Riley would be embarrassed later that the kids hadn't even been as nervous as she was and had felt the need to comfort _her_.

"Girl Power, remember?" Ava added, and offered her hand, palm up.

Riley accepted, putting her hand in hers and nodding like a child. "Girl Power," she agreed in the same wobbly tone, her lips still twisted in a comical crying pout.

They were about five feet from the top now, and the sound of water rushing down the other side grew louder.

At one side of the tunnel, a hollowed out space opened up that held a boiling cauldron, a table set for a meal, and Brer Rabbit tied to a stake. "Whatever you do, just please don't throw me into the briar patch," he was begging Brer Fox.

Then, there were only inches to go.

"Get ready!" Auggie said excitedly.

"Hold tight, Riles," Lucas encouraged.

Riley obeyed, gripping Ava tightly with one hand, and wrapping the safety bar in a death grip with the other.

They finally- _finally_ \- crested the top of the hill and broke free from the enclosing rock. The moment they cleared the opening, the early evening sunlight seemed to burst in their faces, momentarily blinding them.

When Riley's vision cleared, she almost wished it hadn't. From that height, she could practically see the entire park. But that was something she only saw in a glimpse. The long watery chute in front of them and the briar patch sprawled at the bottom of it was where her attention became fixed. And being at the front of the boat gave her an unimpeded view of just how very far it was to the bottom.

But she wasn't given much time to focus on that either. Only as much time as it took for their boat to even out at the crest and reach its tipping point to go over.

Eyes locked on the steep slide before them as the nose of the boat began to tilt downward, a whimper of unease escaped Riley's throat. "I changed my mind! I really don't wanna be in the fro-aaaaaaaagh!"

Her babbling turned into a scream mid-word as they went flying down the chute with a whoosh. Beside her, Ava screamed too, along with a majority of the other riders in the boat. Even Auggie's shout spiraled up to near-girly proportions.

The wind whipped through Riley's hair as they rocketed downward, the water at the bottom rushing up to meet them at a dizzying speed. It seemed to explode all around them when the boat rammed the surface in a violent watery crash that sent them gliding into the briar patch at the same time. The painted plaster vines and leaves were actually the covering for another short, narrow tunnel, and the boat slid through it choppily as the water from the crash splashed up all around them.

Everyone started talking and laughing at once as they followed the winding channel that took them underneath the bridge they'd been standing on earlier to watch the boats go past.

"Now, what were you saying?" Lucas asked Riley as they meandered between the rocky banks and trees, banjos playing jauntily once again.

Busy wiping the water from her face, she didn't answer right away, so Auggie responded for her.

"I think it was something like, 'I don't wanna sit in frooooooonnnnt'." The last was said with a high warbling tone as he mimicked her scream on the way down.

He, Ava, and Lucas laughed, and Riley sheepishly joined them. Now that it was over and everything was fine, exhilaration from their short downward flight was pumping through her along with the residual pounding of her heart.

"Okay. So I was a little nervous. Next time we'll put you in the front, wise guy, and we'll see how girly your scream gets then."

"Hey!" Auggie pouted in protest, and the others laughed.

Riley looked back at him and smiled amiably to soften her teasing.

Making a face at her in response, her brother let it drop.

"You okay now?" Lucas questioned, reaching forward from his seat to tug gently on the end of her straggling ponytail.

Twisting to look at him over her shoulder, she turned her smile on him in wordless thanks. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They'd passed under the bridge and were entering one last cave filled with animatronics. There was a celebration going on, and all the woodland creatures were singing 'Zippity Doo Dah' and welcoming Brer Rabbit home. It seemed he'd outsmarted the bear and the fox once again by making them think throwing him in the briar patch would be a fate worse than death. But actually, he'd been born and raised in the briar patch, so he knew how to deal with its thorns, and it hadn't hurt him at all for them to toss him into it.

When they came out the other end of the cave, they were back where they'd begun, in the loading and unloading area of the ride. They all climbed from the boat when it pulled up to the platform, then made their way through the long, winding exit of the building. It ended in a small gift shop, as so many of the rides did, but they passed through it without stopping so they could get to the next ride.

When they were back out on the main pathway amongst all the foot traffic again, Riley went over to walk beside her brother.

"You still mad at me?" she asked, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

"Yes," he said emphatically, his tone still a bit sulky, though he didn't make her remove her arm. "What you said was very- _not nice_."

"What _you_ said was very not nice," she countered.

"What you said was more very not nice than what I said," he said accusingly. "It's not cool to tell a guy he has a girly scream."

Smothering a laugh, she said sincerely, "Well, I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have said it. And I forgive you for making fun of me and saying what you said too. Now thank me," she prompted impishly, a ritual they'd done since her dad had assigned her a forgiveness project back when she was in middle school.

The corners of Auggie's mouth quirked upward as he gave her a look of long-suffering, then he folded his hands together at his chest and intoned dramatically, "Oh, thank you, dear sister! You are so loving, kind, and forgiving. I truly don't deserve such a kind and benevolent sister."

"You said 'kind' twice," she pointed out.

"Take it or leave it," he offered flatly.

"Fine, I'll take it. But only because your sarcasm was so very heartwarming," she said dryly, and he grinned at her.

All forgiven now, Auggie returned her gesture and flung an arm around her waist as they continued to walk. "Were you really scared up there, or were you just being dramatic?" he had to ask.

"A little bit of both maybe?" she answered ruefully.

"Well, I'm sorry you were scared," he offered sincerely. "From now on Ava and I will just sit in the front."

"You have to make things up to her first," she reminded him humorously.

"Yeah." He sighed, but when he looked at Ava, who was walking in front of them talking animatedly to Lucas, there was fondness in his expression. "I guess I should probably go do that."

As he withdrew from her to go to his girlfriend, Riley told him, "Good luck. Try not to grovel too much."

A wry look of agreement over his shoulder was his only reply as he moved forward to walk with Ava.

While he started to plead his case with the young blonde, Lucas fell back to join his own girlfriend.

"How hard do you think she'll make him work for it?" he asked with amusement, his eyes on the young couple bickering like they'd been married for years.

Riley, busy flapping the front of her shirt where she'd plucked it from her skin, followed his gaze and shared his amusement. "Maybe not too hard since he already apologized."

With a silent laugh, Lucas nodded in agreement. Shifting his gaze to what she was doing with her shirt, the amused glint was still present in his eyes.

Noticing, Riley pointed out with humorous dismay, "I'm all wet again."

His face a sympathetic moue, he said jokingly, "I'd give you Zay's t-shirt to dry off with again, but we left it with your mom and dad."

Riley laughed. "That's okay. Thankfully I'm not _that_ wet."

When they got to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, they had to wait in line for the popular roller coaster, but only for a short while. As they shuffled along through the station that appeared to be an abandoned mining company, and stood waiting at intermittent intervals, they talked about their week there at Disney and how much fun they'd had. All while bemoaning the fact that they had to go home the next day and that summer was nearly over.

Each time the line stopped, leaving them to wait in place for short periods , Lucas and Auggie played like the boys they were, throwing playful mock punches at each other and exaggeratedly protecting whatever part of their bodies the other acted as though they were aiming for. At one point, Lucas was just holding his hands out in front of him while the younger boy swung his fists lightly to connect with his palms. Until he caught one of Auggie's fists in his and used his forward momentum to pull him off balance, and strong-armed him around into a headlock.

Laughing and crying out mild protests at the same time, the youngest Matthews was bent over at the waist struggling to get free while Lucas held the curly-topped head against his side and playfully retorted, "What? Augs, I can't hear you, man, you're all muffled. What are you saying?"

Riley gave them an indulgent smile, watching their antics for a moment before she and Ava went back to her phone. They were on Riley's Snapchat and had been playing with the camera, taking selfies and giggling over them as they experimented with different filters and effects. When the boys stopped their rough housing, they had them pose for some that they could also play with, which resulted in some hilarious shots.

When they finally got tired of that, Riley started recording a video of their surroundings, where she ended up focusing on each of them and asked them to tell what their favorite part of the trip had been.

Ava said hers had either been the afternoon they'd spent at Typhoon Lagoon, or the first day there in the Magic Kingdom when they'd had lunch at the top of Cinderella's castle.

Auggie, most likely in an effort to ingratiate himself with his girlfriend, said his favorite part had been having Ava there with them that week.

"It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if she hadn't been here to sit with me on all the rides, and laugh and make jokes with me about flying Rapunzel hair and stuff," he asserted, the declaration both funny and sweet. And then, as if it were an afterthought, "My light saber fight with Darth Vader was pretty cool too," he said offhandedly, referencing the small show they put on at Hollywood Studios where members of the audience were chosen to participate in some light saber fighting.

Head tipping slightly, Ava's amused expression showed that she knew what he was doing, but she was pleased by what he'd said anyway. "Good answer," she praised with a knowing smile.

Auggie grinned, but he insisted, "And I wasn't just saying it to get on your good side either. It's really the truth."

Giving in to the sweetness of the claim, she walked over to him and threw her arms around him. "You're a smooth talker, Auggie-dog Matthews," she said a bit dryly, but she pulled back to reward him with a smacking kiss on the cheek nevertheless.

"Awww," Riley and Lucas cooed together, looking at them as if they were precious.

"Yeah, yeah, we're adorable," Ava said in good-natured dismissal, waving away their attention with a shooing motion of her hand.

The two teens laughed and left them alone.

"So, Lucas, what's been your favorite part of the trip?" Riley prompted, turning her camera on him.

Lucas made a face, saying humorously, "Well that's gonna be a tough act to follow, but...today was my favorite part. Our day we spent together," he answered in all sincerity.

"Awww," Auggie and Ava simpered, mimicking them mischievously.

But Riley paid them no attention. Eyes on Lucas, their chocolate depths soft and luminous, she told him, "Today was my favorite part too."

They smiled into one another's eyes, warmed by the knowledge that their day together had been one that they both held dear and would be remembered as the best day of their trip. It was something they could remember and hold close in the coming months when they were apart.

And the memories of sunny warmth and ice-cream, and running in the rain, of shared laughter and lingering kisses, and weaving dreams of a beautiful future together would help them get through the days until they could come back together again.


End file.
